The Minister for the Environment, Mr Roche, will make an unprecedented submission to Laois County Council as part of the public consultation process on its county development plan.
The move is the first time a serving Minister for the Environment has availed of the public consultation process to make a submission on the drafting of a county development plan.
The move comes as it emerged that the council stands to benefit from tens of millions of euro in "Part V" payments and levies from property developers.
The prospect of large-scale payments reduces the county's dependency on State aid - the principal incentive for compliance with regional planning guidelines and the National Spatial Strategy.
Laois County Council which will have to borrow to fund major infrastructure projects, is one of the few counties which has no town or city designated as a gateway or hub as defined under the National Spatial Strategy.
The midlands regional planning guidelines, adopted last April, focus on building up the urban structure of the region in accordance with a "hierarchy" of towns.
The guidelines give precedence to the "triangular gateway" of Athlone-Mullingar-Tullamore, identified in the spatial strategy, while not forgetting Longford and Portlaoise. Next in line are the region's smaller towns; villages are way down the list.
But among the villages earmarked for large-scale expansion in the draft county development plan are: Arles, Attanagh, Ballinakill, Ballybrittas, Ballyfin, Borris-in-Ossory, Camross, Castletown, Clonaslee, Durrow, Emo, Errill, Killenard, Rosenallis, Shanahoe, Stradbally and Timahoe.
Although the Government has indicated that it will not fund State services such as roads and water for such rezoning, State aid may not be required.
According to a council source: "If the council grants permission for 600 houses around a village, then 20 per cent of the houses fall due to the council for social and affordable housing under Part V of the Planning and Development Act.
"But a small town would not need 125 social or affordable houses - allowing the county council to take some houses and the rest in cash.
"If the council receives only €150,000 per house instead of 70 houses that is a net gain of about €10.5 million on just that village," said the source.
The council would also be able to charge levies to the property developers to fund a range of services.
Such an approach to planning has the potential to scupper regional planning guidelines generally, the source acknowledged.
A spokesman for Mr Roche yesterday confirmed that officials were studying the draft county development plan and a submission is planned when the plan goes on public display later this month.
The spokesman added that the final adoption of the plan was "a matter for the members of the planning authority".
