Cork Corporation and Cork County Council yesterday unveiled details of a strategic plan which they have commissioned to help structure the development of the greater Cork area, including a number of satellite towns, over the next 20 years.
The study - which follows the successful LUTS plan of 1978 which left the city with a legacy of modern roads, bridges and the Jack Lynch Lee Tunnel - will focus on an area with a population of about 300,000.
The plan will look not just at Cork city with its population of 135,000 but also examine satellite towns such as Ballincollig, Carrigaline, Crosshaven, Glanmire, Passage/Monkstown, Midleton, Cobh, Mallow, Fermoy, Macroom, Bandon and Youghal.
The aim is to provide a framework for the integration of land use, transportation, social and economic and environmental policies with a view to promoting Cork as a competitive European and international city region.
Cork City Manager Mr Jack Higgins said the study - being led by a Cork firm, Atkins McCarthy, and due for completion in February 2001 - will involve consultation and discussion with community groups, the business sector and the public.