The passage of legislation through the Seanad and the Dáil extending the boundary of Cork city has been welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Cork Mick Finn.
The extension will see population grow by more than 85,000 people.
Cllr Finn said this is a historic time for Cork which will pave the way for the expansion of the city for the first time in 50 years. The development, he stresses, will have "hugely positive implications for housing, transport and other infrastructural development and investment in the years ahead."
Cllr Finn said the "green light" from both the Dáil and Seanad – which now just has to be signed into law by President Michael D Higgins – will accelerate a transition process already underway between the city and county councils.
“Huge work has gone into the transfer of electoral data for the registers which will be published in mid-April and which will outline the new Local Election Areas (LEAS) in which people will vote.
“Because the population of the city will expand by over 85,000 to over 210,000, and because the city’s geographical footprint will quadruple, there will be changes to city council management and operational systems which also are being worked on.”
Residents
It is understood a public information campaign will inform residents, city and county councillors and potential candidates about the changes in advance of the local elections on May 24th.
Meanwhile, in the summer of 2017 the Cork Implementation Oversight Group was tasked with overseeing arrangements for the alteration of the boundary between the respective areas of Cork City Council and Cork County Council and producing an "Implementation Plan" for that purpose.
The boundary generally follows the boundary of the city and suburbs shown by the 2016 CSO census report but excludes areas east of the M8 motorway. In the south, it extends to include all of the zoned airport area, and on the north side it extends above Glanmire to the west of the M8. It includes Tower and Blarney but excludes the Monard Strategic Development Zone.The report recommended that Ballincollig be included in the city as a metropolitan town. However, despite its proximity to the city Little Island will remain in the county.