It was Dagens Næringsliv who announced on Friday that Meraker Brug will be put up for sale. With an area of 1.3 million acres, it is one of the country’s largest privately owned properties and has a market value of over NOK 1.5 billion. It is now for sale because the owners want to buy more art and secure capital for the operation of the Astrup Fearnley Museum on Tjuvholmen in Oslo. Shortly after the news was released, county mayor Tomas Iver Hallem (Sp) speaks out to ensure Norwegian ownership. – This is an extremely large property in the Norwegian context. As county mayor, and we in the Center Party, I am concerned with Norwegian ownership of properties in Norway. And such large properties can take 100 years before coming up for sale again. Now it seems that this property is for sale, and then I think we must look at the possibility of using the right of first refusal and that the state buys the property. Hallem believes that the state should buy the property, so that it can be split up and sold to various Norwegian players. Photo: Bent Lindsetmo / news Furthermore, he believes that arrangements should be made for the property to be divided. – So that you ensure Norwegian ownership and not least that you spread the ownership over several Norwegian owners – which is a good custom in Norway. Fear of foreign ownership The property makes up 90 percent of the entire Meråker municipality. In addition, it extends into the municipalities of Stjørdal, Malvik and Steinkjer. – It is not difficult to imagine what the dangers are if the property is now put up for open sale. We have seen that large international owners are looking for a safe placement of equity, says Hallem to news. He refers to Namdalen, where large properties have changed from Norwegian to German owners. – We can only imagine what happens if Chinese owners or others come in and want to own and own 90 percent of Meråker municipality. I do not think it benefits either those who live in Meråker, or the development of the property. The county mayor also believes that it is an important basis in democracy that those who live and work in the country also own the land. He adds that the purchase will also be a good investment for the state, even if “a few kroner” must be spent. In the long run, it is better to ensure Norwegian and local ownership by having a state entrance in the purchase of this property. That is what I hope to get through for now. The area marked in yellow shows the part of Meraker Brug which is located in Meråker municipality. In addition, the company owns property in the municipalities of Stjørdal, Malvik and Steinkjer. Graphics: The Mapping Authority Several have already announced their interest On Friday afternoon, chairman of the board Richard Arnesen of the Hans Rasmus Astrup Foundation told news that there are several private individuals who have already shown their interest. He will not say anything about who it is. – We want to have a close relationship with the municipality in this process. We have had a good working relationship for many, many years, he said. – If we do something, we will look for an owner who could imagine operating just like today – with a long-term perspective. Last year, the investor Bjørn Rune Gjelsten bought Værdalsbruket, another very large private property in Trøndelag. The property makes up just over 60 percent of the municipality.
ttn-69
County Mayor Tomas Iver Hallem (Sp) believes the state must buy Meraker Brug in Meråker – news Trøndelag
