On the night of 5 May, just over a year ago, Mary Johanne Nordby was woken up by someone banging on the front door. Wearing only slippers and a dressing gown, she quickly got out of the semi-detached house in Smidsrødveien on Nøtterøy. – It was incredibly dramatic. The entire condominium on the neighboring plot was set on fire. For a while there was also a danger that the fire would spread to my home, says Nordby. A few meters from the living room windows, the ruins of the fire still loom, 14 months after Sameiet Ekenessundet was engulfed in flames. Mary Johanne Nordby (87) Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news – I don’t understand why it isn’t cleaned. It is a mental strain to be met by this sight every single day, sighs the fit 87-year-old. – No one can answer. Neighbor Knut Uller has taken on the role of a kind of spokesman for the nearest residents to the fire plot. – I have been in contact with Færder municipality, Gjensidige Forsikring and Vårdal Arkitekter who have been commissioned to design a new building on the property. Nobody can answer when the fire site will be cleared, says Uller. Knut Uller has taken on the role of advocate for the neighbours. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news Torbjørn Fevang is chairman of Sameiet Ekenessundet. He is among the residents of the ten fire-ravaged apartments who still have temporary accommodation paid for by Gjensidige. Fevang explains that the insurance company is responsible for the property being cleared. They are also the ones who have engaged Vårdal Arkitekter to design a new building on the fire site. – I understand well that the neighbors react to the fact that the property has not been cleared, but there are things going on, says Fevang. He has been informed through the insurance company that a company has been hired which will soon start the clean-up work on the fire site. – What do you mean by soon? – I got the impression that the works would start before the summer, but now it may have been postponed due to the summer holidays, says Fevang. Mary Johanne Nordby’s great wish is for the ruins to be cleared away soon. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news – New building ready in 2025 He adds that the residents of the condominium have received information that the new apartment building in Smidsrudveien will be ready for occupancy in May 2025. – We have been given an estimated construction period of 18 months, says the chairman. According to communications director Øystein Thoresen at Gjensidige Forsikring, permission has not yet been granted for the construction of a new building on the fire site. – When it comes to the construction of a new building, it will naturally be a normal process where the neighbors will have their say on the project. As far as I know, a start-up permit has not yet been granted for a new building, says Thoresen. The neighbors believe that the fire ruins reduce the value of the surrounding homes. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news – Clearing starts on 1 August He expresses great understanding that the neighbors of the fire ruins react to the fact that the property has not been cleared. – Unfortunately, it is normal that such large cases take some time. It is also the case in this case that the property is close to the water and there have thus been some extraordinary circumstances to take into account. – But when will it be cleaned up? – I have learned that demolition permission was only granted by the municipality in June this year. A company has been hired and the clean-up work is scheduled to start on 1 August, says Øystein Thoresen. Manager Ingunn Mansås Kjærstad at the building affairs department in Færder municipality is quite clear that the municipality has not put a stick in the wheels for the demolition work. – We first received an application for demolition and reconstruction in one. We could not grant it because, among other things, there was a lot of uncertainty about the ground conditions on the property linked to the new building, says Kjærstad. Demolition application granted on the day The municipality then informed Vårdal Arkitekter AS that they could split the application, and in that way only apply for demolition. – We could grant such an application very quickly, but the applicant did not want that, says Kjærstad. When Vårdal Arkitekter finally chose to send an application that only dealt with the demolition of the fire ruins, the application was approved the same day. Specifically, June 26 this year. Mary Johanne Nordby struggles a little to believe that the clean-up will reportedly start soon. – Then we’ll see. – There has been so much nonsense and mess, so I take this with a pinch of salt, she says. The view from Mary Johanne Nordby’s living room window is anything but idyllic. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news
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Neighbors on Nøtterøy react to the fact that no one clears the fire site – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
