Residents of the tiny, unspoiled, canalside village of Vicarstown are awaiting a ruling by An Bord Pleanala which many of them believe will seal its fate. An Taisce also sees it as a test case for the survival of small villages throughout Leinster.
In March Laois County Council granted planning permission to Corrigeen Construction, which is run by a prominent Laois builder, Mr Tommy Kane, for a scheme of 26 suburban houses in the village as well as a community hall on the local GAA pitch.
With the support of a majority of Vicarstown residents, An Taisce lodged an appeal against the housing scheme, arguing it would constitute inappropriate development and set a precedent for further housing schemes aimed at Dublin commuters.
Similar proposals are under consideration for other villages in Leinster including Clondara, Co Longford; Clonegal, Co Carlow, and three villages in Co Louth - Duleek, Dunleer and Castlebellingham - all within the rapidly expanding Dublin commuter belt.
"Villages are fast becoming the latest victims of the housing crisis and property boom," according to Ms Breda Keena, who lives in Vicarstown.
"The IFA is also giving a `thumbs-up' to farmers to sell sites for housing and go for this lucrative cash crop."
She said the village had no local industry apart from tourism and lacked the infrastructure for large-scale housing development - roads, shops, public transport and sewerage.
"It is not even on the county council's list for a sewage treatment plant," she added.
Nobody locally thought they could object to the proposed community hall, which is to include indoor football and basketball, even though its promoters have said that at least 70 to 100 new houses would need to be built in the village to make the hall viable.
The county council itself owns some land in Vicarstown and may build up to 40 houses there, but only after a sewage treatment plant is installed. Meanwhile, landowners in the area are being approached by builders seeking sites for more private housing.
Depending on its capacity, the provision of a sewage treatment plant could open up the village and its hinterland to further speculative housing development which many local residents fear could engulf Vicarstown, destroying its tranquil qualities.
Apart from one small council housing estate, it has remained untouched for at least 100 years, dotted with quaint old buildings mostly constructed from cut stone. The village also has strong associations with the patriot Henry Grattan and his family.
The local heritage group, which has drafted its own plan for Vicarstown, believes it has "enormous potential" for development as a heritage, tourism, fishing and pleasure cruising destination because of its location on the Barrow Navigation.
Nearby Dunrally Fort has been identified as a major inland Viking settlement from the 9th century. In the late 18th century it was developed as a summer lodge by Grattan, whose family were responsible for numerous other local improvements.
Grattan himself allowed the Barrow Navigation through his Moyanna estate free of charge in 1791. His son, James, built the Dunrally Bridge over the canal in 1820, while the local national school was built by his granddaughter, Pauline Grattan Bellew, in 1868.
She also built Grattan Lodge, a Victorian mansion dating from 1882, where Grattan had planted beech trees. Earlier, the family provided a site for the Catholic Church of the Assumption, which was built in 1838. Its coat of arms adorns the entrance to Moyanna Graveyard.
"For Vicarstown to retain its authentic features, which are so distinctive and unique, it is important that the future of the village is planned with great sensitivity," according to the local heritage group. That is why it wants a limit imposed on new housing.
Mr Joseph Brophy and his wife Constance, who live in what is reputed to have been the first RIC barracks in Ireland (1801), said that if the character of Vicarstown is destroyed by housing developments, "visitors and tourists will not want to come here".
Ms Keena said the solution to Ireland's housing problems should not involve destroying its villages. "Why turn Vicarstown into another characterless suburban settlement that is essentially a housing development for sleepers who commute long distances every day?"
The developer, Mr Kane, could not be contacted yesterday to comment on his plans. An Bord Pleanala has said it will make a decision on the appeal by An Taisce and local residents by November 16th.