Sipoo denounces Helsinki's boundary change proposal

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The citizens of neighbouring Sipoo unanimously rejected on Monday Helsinki's demands to link western parts of the municipality with the Finnish capital.
      A heated debate on Helsinki's boundary change proposals took place at the citizens' Monday night town-hall meeting in Sipoo, where close to 400 people demanded their municipality be kept intact.
      Pekka Myllyniemi, who has been appointed to study the issue, is to hand his report to Minister of Municipal Affairs Hannes Manninen (Centre Party) on November 30th.
      The resistance of the citizens came as no surprise to Myllyniemi. He promised to keep in mind the local residents' views when compiling his report to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
     
The residents of the largely rural municipality believe that the annexation of part of their territory would be a death-blow to Sipoo's ability to survive and thrive as an independent community. In their view the plan would destroy the chief assets of the municipality, including the nearness to nature, safety, social cohesion, and good services.
      There is a radical difference in population density between Helsinki and Sipoo, and many at the town meeting argued forcefully against the idea that the entire metropolitan area should be cut from one cloth, and in the image of the capital.
      Furthermore, the Sipoo citizens also fear that if Helsinki takes part of the municipality, Vantaa, Porvoo, and Kerava will not be long in sharing out the rest.
      Helsinki wants to absorb around 5,000 hectares of land from Sipoo, in part in order to alleviate the capital's chronic shortage of viable building land. C


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Helsinki administration demand rules in negotiations with Sipoo (19.9.2006)
  In the annexing department, Helsinki has a history of getting its way (5.9.2006)
  Helsinki wants to expand to western parts of Sipoo (20.6.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat