Sipoo boundary change decision to be transferred to next government

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A governmental decision on the proposed annexation of south-western parts of the municipality of Sipoo to Helsinki will not be made until after the upcoming parliamentary elections, reported Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen in an interview with the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE.
      Vanhanen noted further that the administrative procedure is bound to take so long that the present government has not enough time to handle the matter.
      Pekka Myllyniemi, an official appointed by the Ministry of the Interior to study the proposed annexation, submitted his report to Minister of Regional and Municipal Affairs Hannes Manninen (Centre Party) at the end of November.
      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.
     
Currently, Myllyniemi’s proposal is under debate in the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa.
      All municipalities are expected to submit their statements by March 9th.
     
According to a consultative referendum held in Sipoo on Sunday, some 93 per cent of all residents opposed the proposed shift in the municipal border, while only five per cent of them took a positive view of the project.
      However, such a move is possible even without Sipoo’s consent, as land areas can be switched from one municipality to another on the basis of a unilateral decision by the government.
      Once the municipalities have given their views on the proposed annexation, the State Provincial Office will put together the statements, and subsequently a final proposal to the government will be prepared by the Ministry of the Interior. The new government is anticipated to start work in mid-April.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Proposal calls for Sipoo to hand over less land than planned to Helsinki (1.12.2006)
  Poll: Almost all Sipoo residents oppose shift in municipal border (22.11.2006)
  Helsinki wants to expand to western parts of Sipoo (20.6.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat