Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

For clarification, my understanding is that Monard, which we are talking about, is not coming into the city but is, in fact, staying in the county. That was the issue I raised earlier on. It is proposed to take in Blarney and Tower. I know this was discussed between the city and county councils. I understand that, subsequent to an agreement being reached on the matter, there was a further meeting of the county council at which the proposal brought up by Senator Ó Domhnaill was brought forward. I have no fixed views one way or the other.

There is a mixed population in the Blarney Tower area. The area has grown to become quite substantial in recent years, especially Tower which is part of my own home parish of Inniscarra. The new line actually divides Inniscarra in two. The issue in respect of Blarney and Tower is that over the last few years many people have moved in but a large number of them have come from the north side of Cork city. The reason they have come from the north side of Cork city is that no land was available in that area for the development of private housing, or indeed any kind of housing. From my knowledge and from having worked in the area I know that large number of people have moved into Blarney and Tower from rural areas and from towns right around the county, but also that large numbers have moved out from the city. It is therefore already very much a mixed population, but it is an area that has grown quite substantially as an urban area. In fairness to the county council, it has done a huge amount of development in terms of making sure there is proper infrastructure, including sewerage schemes etc. The overall agreement was about pushing out the boundaries of the city so that strategic planning could be done. In doing that there was a specific requirement that Monard, which was one of the areas proposed, would stay in the county. I am not saying that it will ever develop but it was proposed by the county as a new town away from Blarney.