The city council therefore recommends that Oslo municipality cover a tax bill of more than NOK 50 million for investor Christian Ringnes and his company Eiendomsspar. In total, Oslo municipality has to fork out close to 350 million to secure the property Hoffsveien 9 on Skøyen in west Oslo. Here comes the first station on the Fornebubanen after Majorstua. Without this purchase, the new subway to Fornebu would have been in more trouble, less than a year after the last delay and cost overrun. – Forced situation What makes the case special is that the municipality sets aside NOK 53 million to cover the tax Eiendomsspar must pay on the profit from the sale. The rest is fees and compensation to the tenant. According to Oslo municipality, it is not usual for them to pay tax bills in this way. – You could well say that it has been a forced situation, says urban development councilor Hanna E. Marcussen (MDG). 346 MILLION: Oslo municipality has to shell out a lot of money to secure this property on Skøyen, including the seller’s tax bill. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae Must have the property now Fornebubanen needs the property to build the new Skøyen station underground. And it is urgent to get a grip on it. Nye Skøyen station was to be located elsewhere, specifically at the train station. Here it turned out to be very poor ground conditions. At the last minute, it was decided to change the route and move the station into the mountains. Good negotiating cards Hanna Marcussen admits that the rush has given Eiendomsspar and Christian Ringnes good cards in the negotiations. This is also clear from the case papers from the city council. It is the city council that finally approves the purchase. BAD TIME: Because the track has been rerouted along the way, it is urgent to buy the property, says Hanna Marcussen. Photo: Jonathan Gaathaug Nielsen / news The actual purchase price is NOK 270 million. That is NOK 89 million higher than the municipality’s first offer. In addition, the municipality’s dealers have had to comply with the requirement to collect the tax bill. – We would not have been able to buy the property without that amount. We are short on time and need the property. – Then it goes without saying that it will be a good negotiation situation for the other party, says Marcussen. The Forne bus line has been delayed by three years. She is nevertheless clear that the alternative will be far worse. Oslo municipality could have bought Hoffsveien 9 under compulsion, so-called expropriation. It would be a lengthy process. According to the city council, the track would then be delayed by one to three years. And the extra bill would be even higher. – There would potentially be major delays in the work on the Fornebubanen. It could then cost the municipality several hundred million kroner extra, says the city council. HAVE TO MOVE: Here, there will instead be a lift from the new Skøyen station on the Fornebubanen. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae Christian Ringnes would like to keep the property According to Christian Ringnes, it is only right and reasonable that he gets the tax bill covered. – Eiendomspar would have preferred to build out and keep the property itself. We own several properties on the other side of Hoffsveien and see Hoff as an important and attractive area. – Then there would have been no tax bill to pay, Ringnes points out. He emphasizes that Oslo does not have to pay the tax if Eiendomsspar invests the money in another property instead of withdrawing the profit. Christian Ringnes also says that the purchase price of NOK 270 million is in the middle of four appraisals that have been obtained and thus represents the market price. Covered by the Fornebubanen The total sum of nearly 350 million will be covered within the Fornebubanen’s budget, according to the city council. It consists of money from the state, from landowners and from tolls in Oslo package 3. The price is 26.4 billion 2021 kroner including a buffer for uncertainty. As recently as last week, news was able to tell about the court case in which a landowner in Fornebu is demanding between NOK 1 and 1.5 billion in compensation. Judgment has not yet been passed. If the line becomes more expensive, it may affect other public transport initiatives in the Oslo area.
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Oslo municipality pays the tax to Christian Ringnes for the Fornebubanen – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
