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A DEAL IS finally on the horizon for the first extension of Cork’s city boundary in 50 years – but it’s being met with a spate of contrasting opinions from local councillors.
Last night, Cork City and Cork County councillors gathered in County Hall to hear the latest progress regarding the proposed boundary changes.
It was announced that a compromise has been met by the chief executives of both councils on a scaled-down version of the government report – called the MacKinnon report.
The report – which was commissioned by the Department of Housing - proposes extending the current remit of the city council to include Ballincollig, Carrigrohane, Blarney, Glanmire, Carrigtwohill and Cork Airport, which would see the population of the city almost double to 225,000 people.
However, the new agreement proposes that Cork Harbour, Little Island and East Cork will remain within the county.
It is understood that the chair of the Implementation Oversight Group (IOG), John O’Connor, will this week deliver his report defining a revised city boundary to the Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy.
The compromise follows months of tense negotiations between city and county councillors.
Contrasting opinions
The agreement has been warmly welcomed by city councillors, but anger continues to rumble within county councillors.
“I’m very cross with what’s being proposed. As a member of the County Council for 26 years, this is the biggest mistake in relation to local government ever to be made,” Cork County councillor Derry Canty told TheJournal.ie.
“We are 18,000 people being sucked into a city which is partially dying a slow death. There was no proper planning over the past few years. All the major businesses moved out to the outskirts of Cork so the lifeblood was drawn out of the city centre,” he said.
Cork County councillor Marcia D’Alton was similarly dissatisfied but understood that a compromised had to be found.
“I’m not happy but an agreement had to be reached and it has been reached,” D’Alton told TheJournal.ie.
“I thought a combined deal between city and county was the best deal but that has been left behind long ago.”
In contrast, Cork City Councillors have welcomed the proposal, along with both the county and city lord mayors.
City Councillor Joe Kavanagh told TheJournal.ie that it was an important move for investors.
“It’s great news for the Cork region. We’re trying to grow the city outwards and it’s how most European cities are growing outwards. We’re a long way to go yet but hopefully we can have it resolved from here,” Kavanagh said.
Unlike his councillors, County Mayor Declan Hurley has expressed his satisfaction that both sides have achieved considerable progress.
Both councils have invested significant time and effort in recent weeks in reaching a solution, and the fact that a proposal has been identified is testament to the desire on the part of both councils to conclude the matter locally.
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Little Island should be also within the city boundary as it goes right up to the Tunnel and Dunkettle.A big mistake to leave it in the county.
@Padraig: What about Douglas, you can actually walk out to Douglas and yet it’s still in the county, madness! Little Island is not really part of the city imo.
@Padraig: What that county councillor is saying is absolutely hilarious. He’s complaining about development outside the city sucking the life out of the city! Sure twas the focking county council themselves who planned all that, is he soft in the head or what?
To sum up Cork city just look at the bus station 1950s
@number24eu: and that was only redone a few years ago!!!
@number24eu: do you honestly think they will spend the extra money on a bus station, most likely give themselves a raise first as they have a bigger area to represent ! Just take a look at the mess they have made of the whole conference hall developement, God alone knows what they will do with the extra areas the have…these boys/girls have a history of fcking things up.
@number24eu: Not just the bus station the whole city looks like it never moved on from the 1950s
@Dave O Keeffe: are you joking … no you are not are you
@zippo: it the same down in Bantry
@number24eu: I’m definitely not joking
@number24eu: to sum up Dublin just look at Bus Aras, 1950s… you didn’t think that one through did ya?!
@zippo: Perhaps they will flog off some of the extra land to the GAA just as they did with the old Cork Showgrounds, no doubt the grab all association are watching this very closely just to see what might be in it for them.
@Dave O Keeffe: What exactly is wrong with the bus station? It’s not the worst in the country by any stretch of the imagination, and it’s very centrally located, which is what you’d want.
Great for the city, not so great for the county, especially Ballincollig which is thriving on its own and has gone from village to one of the fastest growing towns outside Dublin and to the biggest town in Cork within a mere 25 years. Now sucked into city rates, diluted identity and bureaucratic outside administration. Its little wonder there’s a divide!
@The Dons: if anybody wants to look at a city councils total neglect of one section of the city, then look at the disaster that is Blackpool village.
@The Dons: This will do Ballinacollig no harm whatsoever. The city is the region’s entire engine driver. Ballinacollig and Glanmire would be absolutely nothing without the city down the road. There should be a light rail developed between Ballinacollig and City centre now – it’s flat and the critical mass is there to justify it.
do they do fly flags down there like the way DCC do.
Now if they could get their fingers out in Waterford and also get approved for the city boundary extension would be great for the future of the city to survive
Why was this so straight forward but Waterford city expansion was rebuffed. In fact both Waterford and limerick got a downgrade
@Alan Murphy: Alan let me assure you this was anything but straight forward. This has been rumbling on for many a year now.
A city population that has remained near on stagnant for 40 yrs, a terrible indictment on successive councils ! These boys couldn’t get a helium balloon off the ground in this city , pathetic.
Double the population overnight?
Eienstein!
“We want the city to expand out.”
Why would want that? Why would you want more sprawl? Build up for jaysus sake. Bloody stupid. I’m from Glanmire and there are cows in the field next door to our garden. But you’re telling me this is part of the city? Nonsense.
@B Collins: But the optics of it isn’t a real excuse here. Whats in it for the likes of Glanmire and Ballincollig? Absolutely nothing! Whats in it for the city, higher and more rates and a land grab! Simples, city won and the county lost on all fronts.
Surely the only fair way would be to have a local referendum for the county area to see what the people want. That is democracy.
@John Hagin Meade: we live in a representative democracy. We vote for the people that we want to make the decisions
Most people in Ballincollig commute to the city to work you can’t have your cake and eat it )
@David MC: That would make sense only that the second biggest employers in Munster are in Ballincollig, Dell EMC and VM Ware, and they don’t all live in Ballincollig either.
The infrastructure needs to be drastically improved before any further development occurs including North Link and Cork Limerick motorway.
All for development and progression but the infrastructure in the area is poor at best and needs to be drastically improved before any further development occurs including a North Ring and Cork Limerick motorway.
Badly managed city will become bigger badly managed city
The infrastructure in the ares is poor at best and needs to be drastically improved before any further development occurs including a North Ring and Cork/Limerick motorway.
is douglas included if not it should be
have your say