– The most important thing now is that these plans are stopped by Fredrikstad and stopped in the municipal council. Former climate and environment minister Ola Elvestuen (V) reacts to what news has told about the process with Viken Park in Fredrikstad. The project will become one of the largest nature interventions in Norway if it is adopted by the city’s politicians after the summer. In March, Ola Elvestuen went up to the planning area together with news. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news On Saturday, news told how nature was not mapped when it was decided that the area could be used for food. The municipality says they have followed all guidelines and legislation. news has also found ties in the planning work. Those involved believe the bonds are unproblematic. news has spoken to a number of national politicians who are reacting to the findings: NTB Rødt believes the project must be stopped – Viken Park must be stopped and it is not too late. Fredrikstad municipality still has the opportunity to stop this madness, says Sofie Marhaug, deputy leader in Rødt. She warns that they will ask the Minister of Local Government in the Storting whether the plans meet the law’s requirements for impact assessments. She calls the case appalling. – If the minister thinks this is in accordance with regulations, the rules must be changed, says Marhaug. Anette Karlsen / NTB/Scanpix Horrified Conservative politician believes the case should be reviewed Storting representative for Østfold, Ingjerd Schou (H), reacts to the process. – The scope makes me a little startled that proper case management has not been done in advance. – For the sake of trust in our entire administration and our democracy, I think it is important to take the trouble to get others to look into whether this is a case that holds water. Both the purely procedural and the political handling. Ksenia Novikova / news ENG2 – This is shockingly undemocratic The Norwegian Storting representative for the MDGs, Une Bastholm, will ask the climate minister questions about the matter. – This is a shockingly undemocratic process, where nature loses, but clearly also topsoil. Bastholm believes that the local politicians have not been sufficiently informed. – I would encourage the municipal politicians to take another look at the matter. And then we will fight to save the forest. Frode Fjerdingstad / news Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen (Ap) believes the system must be changed – This case well documents what we have been saying for a long time, namely that there is a need for system change. The Prime Minister will not comment on what should happen to Viken Park next. But he allows that the municipality and the other actors may be right in that they have followed the law – that the system is just like that. – It is difficult for me to assess, but it is entirely possible. And that confirms how important it is with system change. SV SV reacts to the process – We are failing the nature agreement if the administration does not inform clearly enough about the consequences of the development, says environmental policy leader in SV, Gunnell Sandanger. – SV wants a clear tightening of land policy. Densification of gray areas, inter-municipal cooperation and land accounting are things she points to. – Land accounting must be in place both in the individual municipality, county-wise and at national level. Elvestuen asks the politicians to say no. – There is such great destruction of nature and such great mass withdrawals. There are such huge areas involved, that in itself must be enough to say no. This case must have an aftermath. – Completely foreign to us Just half a year ago there was an excited atmosphere in the city council in Fredrikstad. It was unanimously agreed that the plans should be sent out for consultation. Also earlier in the process, the project has been cheered on by all the parties in the city. Now several local politicians say that they have turned around. Private Silje Louise Waters, group leader of SV in FredrikstadWaters says that SV will vote no to the development plans. – Actually, I feel a bit unwell. It actually makes me a little sick. Because I remember that process well, says group leader in SV in Fredrikstad. She says what came out in the impact assessment about red-listed species was completely foreign to her in the spatial planning process. news’s Hannah Berg, group leader in Rødt in Fredrikstad Local association in Rødt admits that they had not realized the consequences and admits that the alarm bells should have rung. They sat down and went through case papers again after news’s case. – I don’t think my party will be able to stand behind the area regulation with what has come to light, says Berg. She believes that the planning processes must be improved in Fredrikstad. – We expect it to be a real wash-up. news Siri Martinsen, group leader of the Labor Party in Fredrikstad The Labor Party has been a driving force behind Viken Park. They have not changed their position. – No, there is no change. We will have that case processed over the summer, and then we will read it carefully, as we do with all cases. We will look at all the input that has been received, says Siri Martinsen. – This area was once set aside as a regional business area because we lost the battle for jobs. Private Kolbjørn Westberg, group leader of KrF in Fredrikstad Kolbjørn Westberg says KrF has to go through a new round with the case after the information that came out on Saturday. – We haven’t quite landed yet according to the new information. Before the matter comes up in the city council, we will probably take a few rounds in the forest and see, in addition to obtaining additional information. Because it seems that there are things that have not fully come to light, says Westberg. Kristine Lind Andreassen Jonas Qvale, leader of the Bymiljølista in Fredrikstad The Bymiljølista in Fredrikstad also says that they will vote against the development. – I think that there is perhaps something wrong with the system in how we handle major planning matters, especially where nature or LNF areas disappear. When we get the green light for almost everything in the work on the area plan, that it has no consequences for natural diversity, I think that there is something strange in how these matters are investigated. Private Ole Johan Lakselv, Fremskrittspartiet i FredrikstadFrP in Fredrikstad has no plans to turn around.- This is a much-needed commercial area for the Nedre Glomma region.- It is true that it is a major encroachment on the terrain, but we believe the benefits of collecting industries in a park like this offer great advantages in terms of conserving nature elsewhere. We hope this will provide new jobs and value creation, and we believe it is far too late to turn around now. Previously, both MDG and Venstre have told news that they have turned the issue around and will vote no. But neither the Progressive Party, the Conservative Party nor the Labor Party have changed their position. All three parties are positive about the business area, partly because it will provide jobs for the entire region and take Fredrikstad into the green shift. And together they have a majority in the municipality’s city council. – You must have a heart of stone if you are not affected by this case! And we in the Conservative Party don’t have a heart of stone, that is, says Anne Lisbeth Undahl, group leader in the Conservative Party in Fredrikstad, laughing. But instead of saying no, Høyre plans to dive deep into the details to ensure that the plans are as environmentally friendly as possible, explains Undahl. – This is not an old-fashioned industrial area, this is part of the green shift. It has been desired by both the county council and neighboring municipalities, as we have understood it. Then we have to figure out how to do it, says Undahl. There are great natural values in the forest. Both red-listed mushroom species, old-growth forest and wildlife. The development will have major consequences for nature in the area. This part of the forest is very old. When news was in the area with biologist Ola Martin Wergeland Krogh, he investigated the age of several of the trees. One was over 230 years old. Game and a number of bird species have been registered in the planning area. There is also planted forest in the planning area. Heidi Oskarsen and Ola Wergeland Krogh measure a hollow oak within the plan area. Hollow spokes have a special protection. Believes the matter has been sufficiently clarified The administration in the municipality is responsible for informing matters before they come to political consideration. Per-Erik Torp, acting head of the section for culture, environment and urban development, stated in Saturday’s case that the municipality has followed the current legislation and guidelines. They believe that the matter has been sufficiently clarified. – We see no reason to take any self-criticism, said Torp. In connection with the area being set aside for industry in 2020, the municipality wrote quite clearly to the politicians that more thorough nature mapping remained to be done, they point out. This is stated in the impact assessment. Per-Erik Torp, acting head of the section for culture, environment and urban development in Fredrikstad municipality. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news – My opinion is that we have had good control. It will be seen when the politicians receive the final plan for final processing, that the frameworks from both the state and the municipality have been followed, says Torp. Only after the summer will the politicians say yes or no to the proposed development. Hello! Do you know anything more about the process around Viken Park? Or have tips on other interesting nature interventions? Get in touch with the team behind “Norway in red, white and grey” and “Oppsynsmannen”. Published 11.06.2024, at 16.58
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