A well-known landmark in Groruddalen is the Siemens building at Østre Aker vei. The old industrial area around the building at Linderud will be transformed. Stor-Oslo Eiendom is planning 1,000 homes, new businesses, a nursery, several squares and green areas. On Thursday, the city council gives the thumbs up. New rules false start This is also the first major case to be dealt with according to the new rules for housing size, the so-called apartment norm. That means more small apartments than first thought. news reported in June that urban development councilor James Stove Lorentzen (H) will jump-start the norm. Actually, it only applies in the inner city, but until now it has been practiced all over Oslo. NEW NORM: The project at Linderud is the first major development where James Stove Lorentzen allows homes down to 30 square metres. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB The most important change is that the minimum size goes down from 35 to 30 square metres. The aim is to have more new homes built in Oslo. In Linderud, the city council will allow up to 40 per cent homes between 30 and 50 square metres. It could provide 200 more homes than in the first plan. Oslo City Council has the last word. LANDMARK: The Siemens building was built in 1967-68 and is on the Byantikvaren’s yellow list as worthy of conservation. It and two other commercial buildings will remain. Photo: Hallgeir Braastad / news – More can afford Mathis Grimstad is managing director of Stor-Oslo Eiendom. He says that without the new rules the project would not have been profitable. – Now we can build many more apartments on the same volume. – It is also better adapted to the purchasing power in this part of Oslo. There are more people who can afford to buy there, he says. GREATER-OSLO CEO: Mathis Grimstad is managing director of Stor-Oslo Eiendom. Photo: Adrian Lund James Stove Lorentzen says that close to half of the city’s population are single households. And over 60 percent are households without children. – There is a great need for smaller apartments. And we need homes for first-time buyers, he says. The city council estimates that a first-time buyer with a normal income can afford an apartment for around NOK 3.5 million. – We must ensure that the builders can deliver homes on the market that young people can afford to buy, says James Stove Lorentzen. More crime But the Oslo police district warns. In a statement, the police are critical of softening the housing standard in general, and particularly in what they call “priority neighbourhoods” such as Linderud and Veitvet. That is, areas with more crime than the average in Oslo. They point out that burdened areas “have been developed with a lower housing quality and a greater influx of residents in recent years”. – This particularly applies to projects based on a large proportion of small apartments which have led to a lot of moving in and out and little belonging to the local culture and community, the police write. The sender is, among others, the head of Unit East, John Roger Lund. CROWDED HOUSING? The police warn that many small apartments, such as in the project at Linderud, can lead to overcrowding and poor living conditions. Photo: Nordic Office and Architecure/Landskaperiet/Greater Oslo Eiendom James Stove Lorentzen believes the police are wrong. – If a newly qualified nurse buys an apartment of 30 square meters and lives there alone, that person is not cramped, he says. Mix of apartments Nor does the manager of Stor-Oslo Eiendom agree with the criticism. – I see that the police are focusing on poor living conditions, overcrowding and ghettoisation. But that’s not what we build, says Mathis Grimstad. He says they are planning a mix of apartments in a number of different sizes. – Also large apartments for the extended family. You get a high-quality apartment, and a lot more in a new project: Outdoor areas, green areas, a nursery, he says. THE ESPLANADEN: The central square behind the Siemens building has been named the Esplanade. Illustration: Nordic Office and Architecure/Landskaperiet/Greater Oslo Property Published 22.08.2024, at 17.15 Updated 22.08.2024, at 18.07
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1,000 new apartments at Siemens in Linderud – the police are critical – Greater Oslo
