NNarvik: NarvikDama di is an important contributor to culture for the whole of Nordland. Important for us all over the country.BBergen:BergenBecause Dama Di is the best place to hang out and play in Bodø, cultural life will be slaughtered if this institution disappears.SStavanger:StavangerBecause I love Dama di, and this will help to destroy a cultural gathering point for many. These are some of the comments among the more than 1,500 signatures Jørgen “Joddski” Nordeng has collected to preserve the popular nightclub and cultural center Dama di in Bodø. The venue is often compared to Blå in Oslo, and is an important stage for many new artists, as well as a cultural gathering point for the city. But now it looks dark. Dama di is a colorful addition to the city in several ways. Developer Corponor will set up two blocks of flats that will border the clubhouse with a total of 120 apartments and office space. The balconies are then planned on top of the work of the well-known street artist Phlegm. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news Fears neighbor complaints In June, the city council decided that apartments with balconies facing the backyard will be built. The aim is, among other things, to get more housing in the city center and to develop the urban environment. Co-owner, cultural profile and musician Jørgen Nordeng and co-founder and culture director Bent Lindahl have reacted strongly to this. They fear that the noise will lead to complaints from neighbors which will in turn mean that they have to close the backyard earlier. This will again have major consequences for operations, according to the two. They don’t understand how balconies are supposed to be able to live side by side with the noise of outdoor life in the backyard until late at night. – If you buy an apartment with a balcony in the backyard of a nightclub, what would you think of it? Just. Annoying, says Nordeng. The case has been widely discussed, including in Subjekt, Avisa Nordland and Bodø Nu. Swipe ? – We are an important meeting place for art, culture and nightlife in Bodø and Nordland, say Nordeng and Lindahl to news. The work is by the well-known street artist Phlegm. The balconies are planned from the 2nd floor, which will be directly above the tables with loud talk, smoking and alcohol consumption until late at night. They believe it is illegal to proceed with the plans. Therefore, they hope that the owner of the building, Advokatfirmaet Aga, will be successful in their appeal against the decision on retail regulation. But recently the city council scrapped the complaint on the recommendation of the municipal director. Thus, the plan from June remains. Aga, which submitted the complaint, believes that the building plan as it is now will destroy its own development possibilities. Because then their tenants, including Dama di, will be greatly affected if apartments with associated balconies open onto the backyard. Aga also claims that the regulation is in breach of the Neighborhood Act. It appears from the case papers (external link). For many, Dama di is an important contributor to Bodø’s cultural life. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news Proposed to move the balconies further up A proposal put forward in the process was to move the balconies from the 2nd to the 4th floor. That would give Aga partial success in the complaint. The Conservative Party proposed this, and received support from among Redt and Frp. Lindahl and Nordeng – and possibly the neighbors – could live with the proposal. But this too was scrapped. Some more facts ? Property developer Corponor will build 120 apartments and office premises in the area. The project is called “Quarter 10”. Such projects are approved politically. Homeowner Advokatfirmaet Aga has complained about the plans as they are now. They believe that they will destroy business operations (and refer to Dama di, among other things), which will in turn destroy their own income opportunities if Dama di AS should go bankrupt as a result of reduced catering options. The plans for detailed regulation of the area for residential purposes have met with strong protests from the nightclub itself and from people in the city, including in the form of a signature campaign, but the city council has nevertheless decided to go ahead with the plans. The complaint was scrapped last in the city council on 22 September. Now it is on the State Administrator’s table. City council representative for Rødt Bodø, Andreas Tymi, says it is important that the politicians reach out so that Dama di can continue as they do today. – For Bodø and Nordland, this is one of the last urban backyards that is used as a meeting place and cultural venue. He highlights Bodø2024 as European capital of culture and the paradox if urban development hindered cultural life. Tymi prefers that the developer severely curtails the plans. Andreas Tymi in Rødt believes Dama di has created an environment that works far beyond the city’s borders. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news – Strange if the tenant should have more say than the owner Tommy Wisth, group leader in Bodø Frp, tells news that it is important to remember that this is not about Dama di, but that it is a construction technical case. – This is a purely construction-technical matter which is about how the farm owner wants to develop his own farm. He also voted in favor of the proposal for partial approval. – I fully understand that people react. Many have a heart for Dama di, and commitment is always good. But this is a purely constructional issue. Others who want to live in the city center must have a place to live, he says. Tommy Wisth from Bodø Frp believes this is not about Dama di, but about law and construction technology. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news – Hope the neighbors are happy with the noise The case is not quite finished yet. The complaint has now been forwarded to the State Administrator in Nordland. Nordeng and Lindahl react to the fact that urban development will destroy cultural life, which is an important contributor to making it attractive to live in the city centre. – In the eagerness to build out, you run over what makes the center alive, says Nordeng. They hope the balconies will at least be moved up to the 4th floor. – The best thing would have been if the developer redid the design a bit, says Lindahl hopefully. – And if neighbors come, I hope they are happy with the noise, smiles Lindahl. Bent Lindahl hopes the balconies will not be built on the second floor. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news What do you think the city council should have gone for? No balconies at all: Keep the backyard as it is now with the artwork and nightlife ??? More housing is needed in the city, but let the balconies come first on the 4th floor (and not on the 2nd) ?? Let the developer get his balconies right down to the 2nd floor, Dama di can close the backyard earlier ? Show result Propose non-conformance zones and cooperation The situation in Bodø is far from unique. The same applies to all places where nightlife and housing are to live side by side. Managing director of the Norwegian Housing Association (NBBL), Bård Folke Fredriksen, says such conflicts occur more often now than before. Corponor has not responded to news’s inquiries, and NBBL will not comment on this matter specifically. Fredriksen answers on a general basis. – The state has a clear lead for Norwegian municipalities, which says that you should build more centrally in cities. Then dilemmas like the one in Bodø arise more often. Bård Folke Fredriksen, admin. director of NBBL. Photo: Anders Fehn Developers feel that there is more to take into account now than before, which complicates an already complicated process. He has one piece of advice and one suggestion to make in such situations: – Local politicians can adopt deviation zones in the municipal plan where residents must expect more noise than otherwise if you move there. For example, that the requirement for nights out after 11 pm is waived because there are already nightclubs there. – However, rules cannot solve everything. People and businesses must always work to find out how to live together. Researcher: – Balconies should not face meeting places This is a well-known topic in urban development projects, according to Gro Sandkjær Hanssen, senior researcher at the Urban and Regional Research Institute at Oslo Met. When the center is to be densified, both housing and urban life are desired. The challenge is always when private spaces meet public spaces. And it happens more often now than before. – The rule is that there should preferably be no balconies towards a meeting place, preferably on the other side of the building. Senior researcher Gro Sandkjær Hanssen at Oslo Met clearly believes that in Dama di’s case, consideration for the already established nightlife should weigh more strongly than new apartments. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news And if there absolutely must be balconies towards the meeting place, these should be as high as possible to avoid complaints from neighbours, she points out. Possibly build with very soundproof windows. – If not, you risk building a conflict into the project. As, for example, at Tjuvholmen in Oslo, where they have seen conflict between the bathers and the apartments with balconies at the quayside. The researcher singles out Tjuvholmen in Oslo as a bad example where private meets public space. Photo: Andreas de Brito Jonassen / news – The good examples are where you don’t have balconies facing nightclubs, cafes, restaurants, and so on. She encourages the politicians to have a more principled view of the matter and not build conflicts into city life. The law firm Aga writes to news that they have no further comments on the case beyond the complaint they have submitted. Hello! Do you have any tips or input after reading the case? In the past, I have, among other things, tried to find out why Norwegian buildings are so colourless. Feel free to send me an email!
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Balconies in the backyard can be the death of Dama di in Bodø – news Nordland
