The developers behind controversial plans to rezone hundreds of acres of agricultural land around Newcastle and Rathcoole villages in Co Dublin are seeking to have them included in South Dublin County Council's forthcoming draft county development plan, the Sunday Tribune has learned.

Although councillors voted by 19 votes to two against motion put forward by a Progressive Democrat councillor in support of the development two years ago, Sandymark Ltd said it believes its new proposal to rezone some 280 acres of land "ticks all the boxes" and is confident it will be passed.

However, deputy county manager Tom Doherty, who strongly opposed the "entirely inappropriate" previous plans in a report to the council at the time, has told the Sunday Tribune that "it is not considered that there is any reason to vary the views set out in that report".

The lands include approximately 30 acres owned by Laurence Harney, a brother of former Progressive Democrat leader and health minister Mary Harney, who has said in the past she has "no beneficial interest whatsoever" in the transaction.

Doherty said the council had not received any recent proposals from Sandymark relating to housing, but noted that the Newcastle proposal was the subject of a "comprehensive report and discussion at the meeting of South Dublin County Council in October 2007".

The land is owned by a group of local landowners and Sandymark, and is located between Newcastle and Rathcoole, not far from Citywest and the commuter towns of Lucan and Clondalkin.

In a document circulated to local residents in Newcastle recently, Sandymark claims that "despite the current economic crisis, the need and demand for houses will return". It says it hopes to begin construction in late 2011 or early 2012.

A spokeswoman said the number of residential units envisaged had decreased from around 4,000 to 2,500 over 15 years, while the number of acres to be rezoned had fallen from 425 to around 280.