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Updated: 11:45 15/02/2017
PROPOSAL TO REDRAW the boundaries between Waterford and Kilkenny has drawn criticism in the Marble County.
“We don’t want our identity to be changed,” said Councillor Ger Frisby after Kilkenny County Council unanimously rejected a proposal to redraw the boundaries between the two counties.
The proposed change is contained in a report by the Waterford Boundary Review committee, which was published last week. It recommended a redrawing of the boundary where land from south Kilkenny would be transferred to Waterford, affecting approximately 4,500 people, to make it easier for local governments to be more effective in the area.
Frisby, who lives in the the area that would be affected by the boundary change, said the parish of Slieverue will effectively be split in two between Kilkenny and Waterford.
Speaking to theJournal.ie he said: “We completely object [to the boundary change], you are talking about a person’s county, a person’s parish”.
Frisby added “[it] is so divisive, people in the area are so proud of their identity and any change will leave a very bitter taste”.
Yesterday, Kilkenny County Council voted unanimously to give “not an inch” of Kilkenny land to Waterford and it is demanding a meeting with Minister Simon Coveney to discuss the matter.
However, former Mayor of Waterford Councillor John Cummins disagrees and has called on the boundary recommendations to be implemented.
Cummins said, “Using historic boundaries in modern day Ireland is not appropriate, cities in particular must be allowed to expand into what is their natural hinterland and for too long Waterford has been like a bird with one wing with only south side development in evidence.
The reality is Waterford City has to expand Northwards in the decade ahead as South side development land is limited and it is only natural therefore that this area is administered by Waterford City and County Council.
Cummins has called on the government to implement the recommendations of the report as a matter of urgency.
“This has the potential, along with the Ireland 2040 National Planning Framework which is focusing on the growth of regional cities to be game changer for Waterford and the entire southeast region.” said Cummins.
Waterford Boundary Review Committee
The committee that produced the boundary report was established under the previous government to review the administrative boundaries between the city and county of Waterford and County Kilkenny.
It is one of four such boundary reviews that are being carried out around the country.
The committee was asked to make recommendations on the boundary between Waterford and Kilkenny on what it considers to be necessary in the interests of what would be effective and convenient for local government.
Over the course of the review the committee received close to 20,000 submissions.
Most of the submissions were opposed to the boundary change, citing a sense of identity and belonging to County Kilkenny, as well as financial implications to Kilkenny due to loss of tax revenue.
However, the committee did receive submissions advocating for the changing of the boundary, with many of the respondents saying that Kilkenny County Council has never invested properly in the area and that residents would benefit from a closer proximity to a service provider.
Kilkenny County Council
After the vote yesterday, Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council Matt Doran wrote to Minister Coveney to convey the council’s dismay, anger and disappointment about the issue.
Frisby went on to say that the council will be engaging in the consultation process going forward for Ireland 2040, the new National Planning Framework, which is a national strategy for long-term planning and development across Ireland.
But Frisby feels that the 20,000 submissions from the public were not taken into account by the boundary review committee when making their recommendations.
However, the decision on the boundary change has not been made yet and it is yet to be considered by Minister Coveney.
A spokesman for the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government said that “The Minister will consider the report and its implications very carefully in the context both of ongoing work in relation to the future of local government in Ireland and also the development of Ireland 2040, the new National Planning Framework over the coming months.
“We would encourage people in the counties included in the boundary reviews to use the Reports to take part in the consultation process on the Plan. This is an important opportunity for them to get their views across on the future of the country, their regions, their counties, their local areas and their communities.”
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Time to build a wall I think
I lived in that area for a few years and it makes absolutely no sense for half of ferrybank to be in co Kilkenny. It’s a tiny area we’re talking about. I think by and large people will be better off as part of the city. It’s the GAAheads that are going mad over it.
Before the M9 was built (with the decision and investment taken at national level), the old N9 was Waterford’s only route to Dublin and most of the country. That N9 road was under the control of Kilkenny council. It was a boreen that was not wide enough for trucks (they often got wedged between houses in Thomastown).
That’s how much Kilkenny council invested in the needs of its southernmost residents in its 2nd largest urban area of their county.
And the reason for this? To strangle the economy of Waterford and try convince national govt to make Kilkenny the regional capital rather than Waterford (which is almost 3 times bigger).
I remember that road through Mullinavat and Thomastown, absolute torture.
The M9 was built with central funding. Lack of funding to do it up til then was ZERO to do with Kilkenny County Council. Nonsense to suggest otherwise.
@Alan Lawlor:
The N9 was actually under national control. Hence the ‘N” part. All roads except N’s and M’s are under county council control.
@Fred: The “N” roads were indeed called National roads, but were under council control and had to be funded by them until the 1990s.
Only when the NRA was set up for the motorways, with the N roads also transferred to their control.
The existing boundary, which runs though buildings and even goes through a GAA pitch, makes little sense. Either include all of the Northern suburbs with the city, or simply restore the Suir as the boundary.
No wonder there were so many hurleys being splintered in Sunday’s ferocious league game between the two counties!
If only the local politicians could get as animated about the issues that matter(24/7 cardiac care) as they have about this instead of getting distracted by a pure diversionary ploy
@Dinosaur Senior: Actually, this has had a seriously detrimental impact on Waterford. We are used to seeing people on here complaining about the weak economy there, but the lopsided development has not helped it develop as a city. Waterforf stretches for about 7km towards Cork and similar towards Passage East and Tramore, yet leave the city on the other side and you can walk to open country in 15 minutes.
A similar problem can be seen in Limerick, although it’s not as bad there as in Waterford.
Don’t disagree, my point though is that the level of animation and bluster from local politicians is in stark contrast to other issues. There is a whiff of jumping on a populist issue which may well never happen while being oh so quiet on important matters.
@Dinosaur Senior: Are you suggesting that it’s not a vital issue to preserve arbitrary lines drawn on a map by the British?
@Dinosaur Senior: The Local people are the ONLY ones who should be advised and to vote on the matter ,, not boreen idiots far away that dont live in the proposed area. Im sure they will find a vast majority would be in approval of the extension when the lives of their children for a better future in the immediate area depend on it !
Who wrote this article. Its so biased. The report was not commissioned by Waterford. It was an independent commission that was set up to assess the boundary in a number of towns and cities in Ireland. It literally would mean that Ferrybank would recieve funding from Waterford Council and not from KK. People livkng there would still be living in KK. So much nonsense and “fake news” about what this would mean. I wish someone would make an official statement and clarify this. Also, if you walk through Ferrybank you can see that KK has invested limited money over the years despite it being the 2nd largest population centre in KK. They have virtually no services. Also, KK Council have permitted some very questionable developments in recent years that can only be described as White Elephants. Something needs to change!!!
The deise might pick up a few extra hurlers to help in their chase for Liam .
I’d say the Kilkenny hurlers would move house before giving up the chance of winning all those lovely All Ireland medals. Sure what’s Waterford got to offer them except a few manky auld bread rolls…. ;-)
Manky auld bread rolls??!! Blasphemer
It’s all a load of Blaa
Why not give residents in the area (& only in the area) a vote? Seems too many un-impacted raising concerns
I live in kilkenny and couldn’t give 2 @#@#@ as usual the gaa stuck in the past, thank God for sky and prem league
Now this is a divisive situation altogether. Can you imagine telling dubliner that there changing there address to meath or Kildare or a corkman he’s going to become a kerryman wouldn’t that be some mixture. Cokerryman. Or a kildubman. Or a waterkennyman.
“Don’t take unnecessary journeys”?
Half of the people living in Kildare/Meath are from Dublin anyway.
Ethnic waterford people suffering under the yolk of the kilkenny oppressors for too long. Our troops will be welcomed as liberators. Falsehoods being promoted by the liberal western media will only strengthen our resolve to bring unity to the motherland.
Of the 19,000 objections all but 100 were hand delivered copy cat files given out. No way of verifying them or anything.
The area in question has a lot of support to change but a lot of people in Kilkenny city have interfered.
*Kilkenny town you mean.
@Niall Lonergan: Kilkenny City, two Cathedrals.
It’s the same story all over the country. What people forget is that these counties were literally dividing lines between 18th century British landlords estates. They need revising for the 21st century.
It was three Norman’s who introduced the county system
@Jimmyjoe Wallace:
A history professor from Galway university told me once that it was King John that started dividing Ireland into counties.
It’s not very joined up nationally, in Cork they are trying to merge the city and county councils, in waterford its about making the City a more coherent entity which does make sense in my mind
The Cats can thank Big Phil Hogan for this break up.
Kilkenny is nice at this time of year
Just change the name to Waterford & South Kilkenny County Council..
If it makes sense from a local government perspective, the identity issue should be irrelevant.
Wouldn’t work:
A) the majority in the area affected already consider themselves from Waterford, being part of It’s urban area, working, shopping , nite clubbing,going to gyms, etc. in Wtfd city
B) the existing population of Wtfd city and county is 100,000. Why add a “& Sth Kilkenny ” for an area with 5,000 people a less than 5 square miles?
A) completely untrue
B) unnecessary as there’ll be no border change
Does it really matter?
If your ‘identity’ (whatever that is) is so important you should sleep in Kilkenny pyjamas.
Or a British nightie – but identity is so important to sort many in Ireland. Religion and politics too…
Kilkenny pajamas …. locally referred to as “The Cats Pajamas”….
Why are Kilkenny people so upset with moving boundaries , when 90% of them all cross the bridge everyday going to work in Waterford in jobs provided for them by Waterford based companies , why has Kilkenny no factories , maybe a Hurley factory is needed , bring that to Dragons Den . Anyway there should be a toll on our bridges on Kk vehicles entering and leaving the city with money earned in Waterford .
From a fella with a soccer team logo from England as his profile pic. Brilliant!!
Build a wall perhaps?
Ok I will use an egg like you , is that the rules , I use my full name here not like must of the Kk egomaniacs here , if we call our bridge that ye cross to work in Waterford everyday the Brian Cody Bridge will that numb the pain , We have no problem with Kilkenny it’s the people that live there , at least in Waterford we accept all sports and we are not racists we only hate cats . Oh and some dogs .
The only reason this will not be passed is FF doing some seat protecting as they are big in Kilkenny. They have 2 and were close to 3 in last election.
The Waterford FF TD dis major back tracking last week after saying before Christmas she wouldn’t nor would FF support it. Appears now they want dialog with the 5,500 affected.
Typical parochial nonsense from those with objections to this. The kind of rubbish that prevents progress in Ireland.
Counties in England are a mess now because of this carry on.
Leave all county boundaries intact and instead draw up totally different council areas if needs be and call them councils, not county councils.
Would increase the amount of all ireland hurling medals in waterford
At least they could celebrate a few Liam McCarthys in the Parish.
who he?
Auld Ireland will never die when idiots pick the game of Hurling over the Economic benefit for future generations !
The vast vast majority of people in the proposed area live, work and sustain themselves in Waterford city .
“Imposing” a boundary extension on the area would of course have some short term raucass politically but when the economic benefit is seen in the area would quickly be forgotten.
Grow up Neanderthals,, and think of the LONG GAME !!!!!!!!!!!
There will be blood.
Good friday agreement needed here
@Michael Collins:
Hurling matches are usually on Sundays
So let’s call it the Good Sunday (in September) Agreement.
How much are we paying civil servants for these notions!
Ah sure the poor Irish.A tribunal eh , sure they might as well be the Roman Senate… and the lama smiled.
Redraw the boundaries so we get our 6 counties back!
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