Minister gives Cork councils 5 years to agree extension to city boundary

The environment minister has given Cork City and county councils five years to agree an extension to the city boundary — or it will be decided for them.

Phil Hogan set out the position yesterday at the unveiling of his local government reforms — the most radical reform of the system in over a century.

He said the need to define a metropolitan Cork area is “clearly evident” given the very significant spillover of suburban development and population from around the city into the county council’s administrative areas.