SV’s Kari Elisabeth Kaski goes the farthest. The parliamentary representative from Oslo says that she was shocked when she read about the plans at news on Thursday. But with the city council’s blessing, Stor-Oslo Eiendom will build 1,000 homes along Østre Aker vei. Four out of ten apartments can be down to 30 square metres. – I believe that it shows that the city council has completely lost its mind. This is an area that already has living standards challenges. There are small apartments, too much cramped quarters. We are not interested in even more, says Kaski. SV’s Storting top even lives on Veitvet, right in the neighborhood of the Linderudløkka construction project. – We have all been looking forward to the development at Linderud. Now it will be a nightmare, she says. CROWDED HOUSING? Many fear that many small apartments can lead to cramped quarters and poor living conditions. Photo: Nordic Office and Architecure/Landskaperiet/Stor-Oslo Eiendom / Olav Juven Oslo police critical The Oslo police district also warns against overcrowding, poor living conditions and high traffic in a critical consultation statement. City development councilor James Stove Lorentzen (H) said on Thursday that he does not agree with the criticism. On Friday, he says that Kari Elisabeth Kaski is taking it too hard. – This will be a good residential area with both small and large apartments – and nice outdoor areas, he says. GOOD HOUSING AREA: James Stove Lorentzen (H) thinks Kari Elisabeth Kaski is taking her statements too hard. Photo: Bård Nafstad Here is the distribution that the city council recommends the city council to go for: Up to 40 percent of the apartments can be from 30 to 50 square meters. At least 30 percent of the apartments must be over 80 square meters. – The problem is the small apartments in an area that already has too many of them, says Kaski. – But isn’t there a point in building apartments that people can actually afford? – Absolutely. That is why we need a fairer housing policy. It must become easier to enter the housing market, and not least to be able to afford an apartment with space to live a life in and not just sleep in, she says. 1,000 HOMES: The housing project at Linderudløkka is the largest so far up Groruddalen for many years. Photo: Nordic Office and Architecure/Landskaperiet/Stor-Oslo Eiendom / Olav Juven – Need for small apartments James Stove Lorentzen also does not buy the argument that there are so many small apartments in the area. He refers to figures from Oslo municipality’s statistics bank. They show that there are the most 3-room apartments in the two sub-districts Linderud and Veitvet. In both places there are more 4-room than 2-room apartments. The Urban Development Board maintains that there is a great need for smaller apartments that young people can afford to buy. Har says that it is not the size of the apartment itself that defines cramped quarters, but how many people live there. – If a newly qualified nurse buys an apartment of 30 square meters and lives there alone, that person is not cramped, he says. – Bad example It seems Rødt’s Sofia Rana is a bad argument. She is the party’s spokesperson for housing and urban development in Oslo. – That there will be single nurses living in all the small apartments is not the reality. There will be families moving in there too. Single mothers more children, for example, because it’s the only thing they can afford. CRITICAL: Sofia Rana is Oslo Rødt’s spokesperson for housing and urban development. Photo: Fouad Acharki / news She shares the police’s concern about the consequences of overcrowding. – Children and teenagers in these families will stay outside. If there are no leisure facilities in the areas either, you are setting yourself up for a problem, says Sofia Rana. Bjerke district positive The district politicians are not as negative. The district committee in the district of Bjerke supports the proposal for several small apartments. They assume that sufficient common areas are created and that the homes are organized as housing associations, not co-ownership. The purpose is to create more stable living environments. THE ESPLANADEN: The central square behind the Siemens building has been named the Esplanade. Photo: Nordic Office and Architecure/Landskaperiet/Stor-Oslo Eiendom / Olav Juven James Stove Lorentzen also recommends Stor-Oslo Eiendom to establish housing associations to prevent speculation. – Then you have to live in the apartment. With co-ownership, one can in theory envision a very large collection of rental apartments. That in itself is not negative, but in certain parts of Oslo it can be, he says. Yes to housing cooperatives Managing director Mathis Grimstad of Stor-Oslo Eiendom says that they will facilitate housing cooperatives to the greatest extent possible. – It is a large project with several building stages and several blocks, so we think it might be a combination, he says. Furthermore, Oslo municipality does not have the opportunity to decide how housing should be organised, but can give advice. Published 23.08.2024, at 15.08 Updated 23.08.2024, at 15.48
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Strong reactions to the city council’s desire for small apartments in Linderud – Greater Oslo
