Cork County Council has put forward a proposal to extend its area of jurisdiction.

The Council has submitted a detailed boundary extension proposal to the City Council which would see the geographical area of the city increase by 84.5% and its current population immediately increasing by 31.2% to 164,915.

The additional area, coupled with the potential for major growth within the existing city through regeneration of key "brownfield" development areas of, Docklands South and North, Mahon, Blackpool, Tramore Road / Kinsale Road and Tivoli would provide for core urban City form growth up to a potential population in excess of 283,000together with potential additional jobs growth of over 50,000 within the city.

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The proposed extension would grow the City Council functional area from its current 37.8 sq.km to 69.8 sq.km. This would make Cork City nearly two thirds the size of the functional area of Dublin City Council, which extends to 115 sq km., thus reflecting its status as the second city in the state.

In terms of international benchmarks of Urban Cities, the proposal would provide for a long term growth in population density levels from the current 3,323 per sq.km to a potential 4,065 per sq. Km.

The proposed extension immediately represents a transfer of Commercial Rates and Local Property Tax (LPT) base with a value of over €16m. The future income generation potential of the proposed extended City Council from new economic and residential development through commercial rates and LPT would amount to approximately €60m per annum. The additional funding is of major significance in terms of creating the conditions for future growth and the sustainability of services provided by the City Council.

(CD/MH)