Minister Simon Coveney says Waterford can double its population to 94,000 as part of a balanced future growth of the city on both sides of the river Suir.
The statement could help push the ratification of a proposed boundary extension into Co. Kilkenny, allowing Waterford City to expand north of the River Suir.
Waterford is one of a number of Regional cities to be earmarked for expansion over the next 25 years.
The Irish Times reports that the new national planning framework will attempt to ensure that Waterford along with Cork, Limerick and Galway, see greater population growth, more jobs and increased investment in transport links.
Simon Coveney says the population of Ireland will likely increase by one million by 2040 and three-quarters of that growth should take place outside Dublin.
Waterford, he says, could become a more balanced city with potentially thousands of houses with job opportunities but it needs a significant increase in population.
