diff --git a/grails-plugin-controllers/src/main/groovy/org/grails/plugins/web/controllers/ControllersGrailsPlugin.groovy b/grails-plugin-controllers/src/main/groovy/org/grails/plugins/web/controllers/ControllersGrailsPlugin.groovy
index 90b6c52ba81..7e444dc1612 100644
--- a/grails-plugin-controllers/src/main/groovy/org/grails/plugins/web/controllers/ControllersGrailsPlugin.groovy
+++ b/grails-plugin-controllers/src/main/groovy/org/grails/plugins/web/controllers/ControllersGrailsPlugin.groovy
@@ -155,8 +155,9 @@ class ControllersGrailsPlugin extends Plugin {
         for (controller in application.getArtefacts(ControllerArtefactHandler.TYPE)) {
             log.debug "Configuring controller $controller.fullName"
             if (controller.available) {
+                def lazyInit = controller.hasProperty("lazyInit") ? controller.getPropertyValue("lazyInit") : true
                 "${controller.fullName}"(controller.clazz) { bean ->
-                    bean.lazyInit = true
+                    bean.lazyInit = lazyInit
                     def beanScope = controller.getScope()
                     bean.scope = beanScope
                     bean.autowire =  "byName"
diff --git a/grails-plugin-rest/src/main/groovy/org/grails/plugins/web/rest/transform/ResourceTransform.groovy b/grails-plugin-rest/src/main/groovy/org/grails/plugins/web/rest/transform/ResourceTransform.groovy
index ad320012db2..a312bb17efc 100644
--- a/grails-plugin-rest/src/main/groovy/org/grails/plugins/web/rest/transform/ResourceTransform.groovy
+++ b/grails-plugin-rest/src/main/groovy/org/grails/plugins/web/rest/transform/ResourceTransform.groovy
@@ -185,6 +185,10 @@ class ResourceTransform implements ASTTransformation, CompilationUnitAware {
                 final uri = uriAttr.getText()
                 if(uri) {
                     final urlMappingsClassNode = new ClassNode(UrlMappings).getPlainNodeReference()
+
+                    final lazyInitField = new FieldNode('lazyInit', PUBLIC | STATIC | FINAL, ClassHelper.Boolean_TYPE,newControllerClassNode, new ConstantExpression(Boolean.FALSE))
+                    newControllerClassNode.addField(lazyInitField)
+
                     final urlMappingsField = new FieldNode('$urlMappings', PRIVATE, urlMappingsClassNode,newControllerClassNode, null)
                     newControllerClassNode.addField(urlMappingsField)
                     final urlMappingsSetterParam = new Parameter(urlMappingsClassNode, "um")