Wexford town is to be extended to eight times its current geographical area and more than double its population on January 1st, following a boundary extension approved by Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
Wexford Borough Council's application for the extension, which was supported by Wexford County Council, is intended to reflect more realistically the extent of the urban area as well as meeting anticipated development and service delivery demands.
"Given the local political agreement, which I very much welcome, I have signed the necessary orders granting a very significant extension to the borough's boundary to better cater for Wexford's future needs as a growing and prosperous town," Mr Gormley said.
By granting the application, the Minister has increased the town's territory by more than 800 per cent, encompassing an additional population of almost 10,000. The town's population in the 2006 Census was 8,854, down 6 per cent since 2002.
"I recognise the need to support the development of Wexford in line with its status under the National Spatial Strategy," he said.
The NSS, published in 2002, designated Wexford as a "hub" town, with priority for development in conjunction with Waterford.
It is the first change to a local government boundary since 2004.
Earlier this year, a report by former Dublin city manager John Fitzgerald recommended that the Limerick city boundary should be extended to incorporate an area of Co Limerick north of the Shannon.