Kilbride consists of a national school, a church, a filling station, and a pub. Its claim to national fame was that it was once used as the location for the former RTE's soap opera rural drama, The Riordans.
With a population of 200, Meath County Council's draft development plans recommends that Kilbride be developed into the county's newest town and home to 5,000 people.
"We looked at other towns and villages we saw developed over the years: the Ashbournes, Ratoaths, Dunshaughlins and Dunboynes. None of us are too happy with the way they developed," Meath County Council's chairman Brian Fitzgerald said. "We said this is an opportunity for us to take Kilbride and work out an action plan with the developers and try and build a model town, a town we would all be proud of."
A few yards from the border with Fingal and strategically located between the N2 and N3 roads, it was inevitable that it would one day have to succumb to the pressure of the ever-expanding metropolis of Dublin.
The 600 or so acres in and around the village are unzoned at the moment but the price per acre is expected to increase dramatically once it is. Property sources believe the value of the land may jump from about £10,000 an acre to more than £100,000. If close to services and therefore ready for immediate development, the land could reach £200,000 an acre.
"There is quite a demand for land not yet zoned. The new county development land will put a lot of land into zoned areas and it increases the price of the land tenfold," said Navan-based auctioneer Maurice Harlin.
Two years ago Michael and Tom Bailey bought Priestown House in Kilbride, which included more than 300 acres of land. They and a number of other local landowners are expected to make substantial profits if the council's objectives become reality.
To date there has been no official consultation with the people of Kilbride although the inclusion of its development as an objective of the new draft development plan was agreed by elected representatives. "At the moment it is just an aspiration of the development plan which goes on public display at the end of the month," said a spokesman for the county council.
The draft plan is on display from Monday and submissions can be made for three months after that. It has identified three development corridors in Co Meath - Navan-Kells-Trim, east Meath and the south Meath fringe.
It recommends the development "be subject to an area action plan prepared by prospective stakeholders under the direction of Meath County Council". It should also take into account the strategic location of the Meath-Fingal border and the strategic planning guidelines of greater Dublin. The area plan is the document which will indicate which lands are zoned for industrial, commercial and residential use. Mr Fitzgerald said the plan "would incorporate residential, industrial and commercial, recreation and community facilities. The people would be able to see from day one what exactly the plan was going to be.
"It would be built over a number of years but strictly to that plan. We see this as an exciting prospect, and it will, we hope, grow to approximately 5,000 people, but it would also fit in with other aspects of our plan." Those other aspects are to develop an industrial park at Clonee adjacent to the existing industrial estates which would attract investment. Aside from creating jobs, Mr Fitzgerald said it would increase the rate base of the county which is currently £5.5 million a year. "We have a population of approximately 125,000 which will grow to around 160,000 within five years and 200,000 within the 10 years, so we have to try and attract industry to sustain that population."
Fingal, just a few metres from Kilbride, generates £30 million a year in rates, and the plans for Kilbride could be just the start of concerted efforts by the royal county not to be left behind.
A number of Kilbride's small population said they were unaware of what was planned by the council. They are waiting to see the draft development plan next week and are reading the newspapers to find out what is happening.
However, Vincent Battersby, who manages Sweeney's, the only pub in Kilbride, said: "It had to happen. From here you can see the Dublin mountains and the airport. It is an unbelievable location which should be good for the people of Kilbride."