Meath County Council has modified some aspects of its draft county development plan following a reprimand from the Department of the Environment and Local Government.
However, the council rejected some of the criticism contained in a letter sent on the direction of the Minister, Mr Dempsey.
The Department had sought clarification on an apparent conflict between the draft plan and the Strategic Planning Guidelines (SPGs) for the Greater Dublin Area, which seek to contain the city's urban sprawl by preserving green belt areas and concentrating development in major centres.
Navan was identified as a primary development centre for Co Meath and the Department expressed "serious concerns" about the proposals for developments in Kilbride, Dunboyne and Clonee. The Department questioned proposals to develop a new town of 5,000 people in the village of Kilbride.
The council defended this element of the plan in a letter to Ms Mary Moylan, assistant secretary of the Department.
It argues that a new settlement is needed in south Meath and describes the proposal as the expansion of a local centre to meet the needs and demands of a growing local population.
However, the letter states that given the legal force of the SPGs, which became law on January 1st, the councillors are prepared to pursue shorter term objectives to address immediate problems of traffic in this area.
The Department was also concerned the proposed zoning of land for residential use in Dunboyne, including 50 hectares east of the former Dublin-Navan rail line, would prejudice the future reopening of the line.
The council's letter notes the councillors were at all times conscious of the need to preserve this line and saw developers' levies contributing towards the rail infrastructure costs, but it accepts that the wording of the draft could prejudice the location of railway stations and other facilities.
They now propose to include the reopening of the line as a specific objective of the plan.
The Department's claim that the zoning of 250 acres in Clonee for light industry adjacent to an existing industrial estate in Mulhuddart is excessive is rejected by the councillors.
The councillors say the SPGs target Ashbourne, Ratoath, Clonee and Dunboyne for expansion, and new industry in Clonee would provide local jobs - eliminating the need for further commuting.