Proposal calls for Sipoo to hand over less land than planned to Helsinki

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Pekka Myllyniemi, an official appointed by the Ministry of the Interior to study the proposed annexation of south-western parts of the municipality Sipoo to Helsinki, submitted his report to Minister of Regional and Municipal Affairs Hannes Manninen (Centre Party) on Thursday. Sipoo lies east of the Finnish capital.
     
In his report Myllyniemi proposed that an area of around 30 square kilometres in the southwest of Sipoo would be linked with Helsinki at the beginning of 2009 - soon after the next municipal elections.
      In addition, the Vesterkulla triangle of Southern Vantaa would be annexed to the capital as well.
      According to Myllyniemi, the proposed area could accommodate up to 20,000 residents and 10,000 jobs.
      The proposed annexation is noticeably smaller than the 50 square kilometres that the Finnish capital initially wanted from Sipoo. Nevertheless, members of Helsinki’s City Council expressed relief over the decision, saying that the city would now be able to start developing the area in order to offer housing to its growing population.
     
"The proposal would also open up the possibility to start the extension of the Helsinki Metro to the east", said Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen (Nat. Coalition Party), although he felt that a more extensive annexation would have given the capital a certainty of better development possibilities.
      Sipoo’s decision-makers gave the news a chilly reception, with Mayor Markku Luoma announcing that Sipoo would start legal proceedings against all decisions and proposals concerning shifts in the municipal border.
      Both Mayor Luoma and Susanna Vuorinen (Nat. Coalition Party), the Deputy Chairman of the Sipoo Municipal Board, predicted that the proposal would result in several years of appeals.
      The Finnish government is to give its decision on the boundary changes by the end of March, after the municipalities have given their views on the proposed annexation by the beginning of February.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Poll: Almost all Sipoo residents oppose shift in municipal border (22.11.2006)
  Helsinki uses threats to pressure Sipoo to change boundaries (15.9.2006)
  Mayor Pajunen says Helsinki could expand to land it owns in Sipoo (16.1.2006)

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