Regjeringen krever mindre bygging i strandsonen

Oslofjorden's government is demanding stricter enforcement of the ban on construction in the coastal area. In a joint letter sent to all municipalities along the Oslofjord on Thursday, Oslo's deputy minister of local government and district affairs, Bjørnar Skjæran, and the deputy minister of climate and environment, Sigrun Aasland, emphasized the need to uphold the construction ban more rigorously.

The government's statement in a press release on Friday called for fewer dispensations, better land-use plans, and closer monitoring of unauthorized activities. Skjæran stated that the government is already taking strong measures for the Oslofjord and expects municipalities to become more restrictive in granting dispensations, as well as closely monitoring unauthorized activities.

Despite over 60 years of construction bans, government statistics show that less and less of the coastal zone around the Oslofjord is available. Only 39 percent of the coastline along the fjord is open to the general public, with the figure dropping to below 30 percent in the Inner Oslofjord. Aasland noted that demolition and privatization are harming life in and around the fjord and limiting people's use of the coastal zone.

Even with strict regulations, demolition continues bit by bit, according to Aasland. Boatbuilders are singled out as harmful to nature. Government statistics show that large parts of important growth areas for birds and fish have deteriorated since the 1950s. The new Oslofjord plan is expected to be presented at the beginning of the new year after a recent hearing.