Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is not working in Waterford. The people of Waterford city are very upset about the declining capacity of the urban centre of the city to market itself. I refer the Minister to the submission to the review panel that was made by William Brady, Jonathan Hall and Brendan O'Sullivan of the UCC department of planning. I do not believe they had discussions with the review panel. They have spoken publicly and in detail about how they believe the recommendations will not work. They have emphasised the need for Cork to concentrate on carving out a niche urban identity, as its competitors are doing. They suggest that this urban identity will be lost if the merger goes ahead. They have said that the second challenge is to maintain an identity with Cork's large rural agriculture and food sectors. They suggest that the towns, villages and coastal communities must equally be considered. They believe there needs to be a rural counterweight to represent these citizens.

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