Darlington Properties had earlier been granted planning permission by Meath County Council to build 22 retail units and a mezzanine level food court covering a total of 6,128 sq m of floor space along with restaurants, a public house, extensive leisure centre and a cr�che at the location. The residential aspect of the proposed development is made up of 110 one, two and three-bed apartments and town houses.

The residential scheme is to be located above the retail and commercial elements in a landscaped courtyard with future residents promised panoramic views of the surrounding townlands.

A pedestrianised plaza will provide opportunities for street caf�s and live entertainment.

A, W and P Murphy Developers, who are currently constructing their own mixed use scheme on the east side of the village close to the site of the proposed new development, have lodged an objection with An Bord Plean�la. A local residents' association has also registered a formal objection with the planning authority.

"Obviously we're hoping the Board grants approval for the scheme and if it does, construction work can start immediately. We're talking about a two to three year time frame before the scheme is fully completed, " said a spokesman for OBK architects who designed the mixed use development.

"I know some objections refer to traffic related issues and we've tried to address them. There was some concern at the time we made our application about the road infrastructure and the expectation is that the new motorway will be up and running by the time the scheme is finished, " he said.

"We've allowed for linkages along a road that would run parallel to the high street linking back up to the other shopping area.

"We believe the development will cement the future growth of the town and the entire community and will stem the flow of revenue out of the county thus matching the aspirations of the local authority. We've used the unique urban fabric of the existing town to generate the masterplan for this development. In effect the whole town centre becomes one large retail precinct where traditional retailers are seamlessly integrated into the proposed new retail venture."