If you drive Tanke Svilands gate towards the center of Stavanger, you will pass commercial buildings, residential buildings and eventually a gas station. But then suddenly it’s over. Because above a wire fence, it will reveal itself: An enormous gaping hole. – It is a symbol, no, a monument, of how we have allowed developers to wreak havoc here in the city, says Mimr Kristjansson in Raudt, as he will hold an appeal in front of the construction site. Mimir Kristjansson in Raudt climbs out of the hole at Tanke Svilands gate in Stavanger. List two and three in Stavanger, Siri Borge and Snorre Log-Skage, follow. Photo: Rolv Christian Topdahl / news The hole was excavated in 2014 and was to be filled by a large hotel and conference centre. But then came the oil crisis, and the market for it dried up. After that, there were several years of arguments between developer and contractor and lawsuits about breach of contract and lost profits in the millions. At the top, the local politicians began to get impatient and demanded every action from the developer. They also threatened compulsory fines. But nothing happened. Compulsory fine And then, in May 2022, the politicians had had enough. Because of the hole, there is neither pavement nor cycle lane there. The forced fines the politicians had threatened began to spring. But still: Nothing happened to the hole. And in April came the tentative answer from the politicians: The majority agreed to stop the compulsory fine and repay NOK 340,000 to the developers. – It is turning the whole thing on its head. They must pay fines until they have cleaned up. What is actually happening now is that the pressure is on the politicians. That they have to hurry up to get something done. But actually it is the developer who should hurry up to deliver a project for which there is a political majority. Or they have to create an intermediate solution, says Kristjansson. Storting politician Mimir Kristjansson in Raudt held an appeal before the court in Stavanger on Saturday. Photo: Rolv Christian Topdahl / news It was the majority in the committee for urban and community development who stopped the fine because they believe the ball is now in the politicians’ court. The majority consisted of Høgre, Frp, Venstre, Folkets Parti and an independent. Raudt, MDG and Labor Party wanted the penalty to continue running, but did not succeed. The development company Greve Wedel AS has submitted a zoning plan which is now being processed by the municipality. – That process has dragged on, and there have been objections from the county council. It is not the developer’s responsibility that the proceedings take an extra long time, says committee leader Frode Myrhol from the People’s Party. – Fear the politicians will accept everything The owners of the hole, the companies Aton AS and Base Gruppen AS, are behind Greve Wedel AS. Their vision for the hole, which Aftenbladet has mentioned, includes, among other things, 80 residences, a hotel with 100 rooms and 5,000 square meters of food on top of that. Since the fine has been removed, Mimir Kristjansson believes that all the pressure is now on the politicians. – I am afraid that several parties will agree to almost anything being built here, i.e. larger and taller buildings than we would accept otherwise, just so that something will happen, says Kristjansson. Frode Myrhol is not enthusiastic about the hole either, but he is aware that it is the politicians who rule. Frode Myrhol from the People’s Party at a chairman’s meeting in Stavanger. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / news According to Myrhol, the latest proposal to the developers could basically have been approved, but the politicians wanted changes. For example, they have asked that an older building on the site be preserved, even though it was not originally protected. – The hole is a shame, but that does not mean that it is the developers who are in charge. This is a project where the politicians have ordered the developer to implement a good number of changes. It is the politicians who have set the guidelines, he says. Fines may apply Myrhol reminds of a clause in the decision. It says that daily fines may again become applicable if the developers spend too long after the zoning plan has been approved. But he doesn’t think that will be necessary. – Base is a company that delivers on the projects they are involved in. So I think that as soon as the regulatory proposal is approved, things will happen very quickly there, says Myrhol. The matter will come before the committee for urban and community development at the end of October. Information manager Lars Petter Einarsson in Base Gruppen tells news that the developers have no comment on Mimir Kristjansson’s statement. – Not beyond the fact that we at any time consider the political decisions that are made. Now, like everyone else, we are waiting for the municipality to publish the zoning plan for second processing, so that we can start the development as soon as possible, says Einarsson.
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For nine years, this quarter has been a den in Stavanger. A symbol of developer power, Raudt believes – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
