At Pardis, a little south of the center of Brumunddal, is the new residential project “Strandvegen Panorama”. Here, 150 new apartments and terraced houses are now being completed between the new E6 and the edge of the mjøskanten. “A unique residential area, idyllically located along the Mjøsa”, is how the project is described on the developer Nordbolig’s website. This will seize large areas in the beach zone, says Morten Aas of the Innlandet Forum for nature and outdoor life. BOAT HARBOR: At the new housing project in Brumunddal, a boat harbor and a barbecue area have been built. Development on the fjord’s edge Pardis is one of several housing projects that have appeared along Mjøsa in recent years. Many of them are within the so-called hundred meter belt. An area along the water’s edge where there will initially be a building ban. In 2022, 37 new building permits were granted in the hundred-metre zone around Mjøsa, updated figures from Statistics Norway show. Among the municipalities around Mjøsa, it is precisely Ringsaker that stands out. Here, only 44 per cent of the beach zone is, according to Statistics Norway, “basically accessible to the public”. Areas that are considered inaccessible are so-called “areas close to buildings”, i.e. areas that are less than 50 meters from a building larger than 15 square metres. In total, there are now 1,266 buildings in the beach zone in Ringsaker. There is an increase of just under 20 per cent from the year 2000 onwards. – One can easily think that beach zone problems are something that belongs to the Oslofjord, but the beach zone at Mjøsa is also under pressure, says Morten Aas. OUTDOORMAN: Morten Aas is a coordinator in the Forum for Nature and outdoor activities in the interior. Photo: Carl Anders Brynildsen Sørheim / Carl Anders Brynildsen Sørheim Of the six largest lakes in Norway, Femunden has the most potentially available beach area. A full 91 percent of the beach zone area is basically available to the public. Around 32 per cent of the beach zone along the Norwegian coast is inaccessible to public transport. In the inner Oslofjord, around 30 per cent of the beach zone is accessible, while for the Oslofjord as a whole, around 40 per cent of the beach zone is available for public transport and accommodation, according to Statistics Norway. Don’t be afraid that it will grow back – Mjøsa is a gem, and insanely valuable. It is a recreation area and an outdoor recreation area for over 100,000 people. Aas is not surprised by the trend. Among other things, he points to large transport projects on the edge of the fjord. The Norwegian beach zone protection In order to protect the rights of the people, Norway introduced a building ban in a 100-metre belt along the sea in 1965. This basically means that it is not allowed to build in the beach zone. In 2011, the regulations became somewhat more flexible when the government divided the country into three zones: Zone 1 – The building ban in the 100-metre belt must be strictly applied in planning. Dispensations must be avoided. Zone 2 – As a general rule, the building ban must be strictly enforced in planning. Dispensations must be avoided in central areas where the pressure on the area is great. Zone 3 – Development shall only be permitted after a concrete assessment based on local conditions. The guidelines were updated in 2021 to provide “greater opportunities for business development and residential development in pig-fed areas along the coast”, and with an emphasis that “it is spatial planning and not dispensations that should facilitate construction in the coastal zone.” Along the southern end of Mjøsa, there is a four-lane motorway for over two miles, mostly in the beach zone. In addition, more railways and motorways are to be built north towards Lillehammer, and there is political will to do the same to Gjøvik. This will seize large areas in the beach zone, Aas points out. At the same time, he clarifies that the municipality has done a lot to secure the community’s interests. He points to Mjøsparken in Brumunddal, where a total of 83 square kilometers have been opened up for outdoor activities and swimming. TRANSPORT: Large transport projects on both sides of Mjøsa will seize much of the beach zone. Here from the development of the E6 between Espa and Tangen. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news In the construction project at Pardis, something of the same has been attempted. Among other things, a footpath has been laid right next to the beach. At the same time, Aas has objections to the project: – I understand that the area has great value in terms of property development, but it quickly becomes a psychological barrier for the general public. You don’t lie down to sunbathe here, he believes. THE LAWN: A grassy lawn has been laid down towards the water’s edge, but Morten Aas doubts whether anyone will lie down to sunbathe there, because it can be perceived as private. The leading municipality, Kristian Owren, leader of the Mjøsa Strandeierforening, believes it should be easier to take measures around the lake. He points to Ringsaker as a pioneering municipality when it comes to utilizing the areas close to Mjøsa. – The regulations that apply around Mjøsa are the same as we have in the archipelago in Oslo. We think that is quite strict, he says. Owren believes there is no contradiction between building in the beach zone and making Mjøsa more accessible to the community. He clarifies that they are not advocating large-scale development along Mjøsa, but that strict enforcement of the Beach Zone Act leads to less activity. ACCESS: A footpath has been built past Pardis, as a measure to make the area accessible to the general public. – Few of the owners do anything, because it is a challenge to do something in the beach zone. If we look back to the time before the Beach Zone Act, there was more activity. He does not believe that a softening of the hundred-metre belt will necessarily lead to more privatization of the beach zone. – Each individual project must be built in a way that ensures that all interests are taken care of. The status today is that, by and large, it is overgrown towards Mjøsa, says Owren. – A conscious strategy Homes in the beach zone are a good lure for badly needed immigrants. The municipality is aware of this, explains Ringsaker municipal manager Håvard Haug. – There are very attractive residential areas, both for new residents and for our own. It has been a conscious strategy to facilitate there, he says of the housing project at Pardis. CONSCIOUS: It is a deliberate strategy to open areas close to the center in the beach zone to developers, as well as to the general public, explains Håvard Haug. There are certain areas in the municipality where it is a goal to provide housing, he explains. It is particularly the shoreline near the towns that is relevant for development. However, he does not believe that the right of access is challenged, as long as measures are taken to ensure access for all. He believes this has been done, also in Pardis. – In the area around Pardis, we believe it is well taken care of. There is a zone along the beach that is publicly accessible, and it is close to the free area along Verven and Mjøsparken. RECREATION: Mjøsparken in Brumunddal is cited by many as a good example of how construction projects can go hand in hand with making the beach area accessible. Photo: Kjell Åge Kampestuen / news Although Ringsaker is the municipality that has given the most dispensations to build in the beach zone, he believes the municipality has a strict attitude. – We follow up on what we become aware of, and then we have a policy that, in general, no more should be built in the beach zone. However, the municipal manager will not completely close the door to construction in the beach zone in Ringsaker. – There is some need for development in both Moelven and Brumunddal, but the general attitude is that it should be very restrictive.
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Building in the beach zone along Mjøsa is a deliberate strategy to attract immigrants – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
