The chief planner of Reykjavík says it is understandable that residents become dissatisfied when dense construction is carried out nearby but rejects claims from a councillor that the process of building a new neighbourhood in Gufunes was improper.
Residents in the new neighbourhood of Gufunes have voiced dissatisfaction with how densely it is being built. Only ten metres separate apartment blocks, and one resident has said that almost all sunlight has been taken from them.
“It is understandable that residents become unhappy when new construction emerges on their doorstep. But it is worth pointing out that this development plan has been in place for several years — since 2019, when the original plan was drawn up,” said Björn Axelsson, Reykjavík City’s chief planner.
At the time, the plan was to provide affordable and inexpensive housing for young people and first-time buyers. The decision to develop densely in this area was political.
It was a conscious decision to make full use of this land, to build densely, with affordable flats on both plots. In return, larger open spaces were to be provided that residents could use for outdoor recreation and leisure in the area.
A resident yesterday said that nearly all sunlight had been taken from their home. Björn stated that there are currently no provisions in building regulations regarding access to natural light in flats.
“We’ve been pushing the legislature to introduce stricter provisions on lighting conditions in flats into the building regulations, so that we can enforce them through our zoning plans — and require developers and others to design flats in a way that meets those conditions.”
He added that Reykjavík City has already been tightening the requirements in zoning plans in recent years, as there are many examples of flats with poor lighting conditions.
“My understanding is that the legislature is finally working on introducing these provisions into the building regulations now.”
City councillor Hildur Björnsdóttir, a member of the planning committee, said the process in this case was irregular. She claimed that an official had allowed it to proceed after a consultation period, without the involvement of elected representatives. Björn disagrees.
“There was nothing irregular in this process. It was a very normal process from start to finish. The plans are presented, advertised, and residents are given the opportunity to submit comments. Often there are many comments, and then we must respond to them. All those responses are then submitted to the Environment and Planning Committee. If there are no comments, the matter is simply processed. In that case, it is considered that there is agreement on the project.”
Björn said that no comments had been received regarding the change to the plan — but after yesterday’s interview with a resident in Gufunes, some comments had started to come in.
It was made clear, when these flats were being sold, that construction would take place on the adjacent site.
The leaders of the city council majority did not agree to an interview yesterday.
Source: Ruv.is
