The government puts a temporary stop to Ikea’s plans for a new warehouse in Vestby. They have long wanted to build the department store at Delijordet. The local politicians agreed to this in June this year, but now the government is saying no. The conflict is rooted in the fact that this is a grain field that can produce 10,000 loaves of bread a year. It is on this ground that the Ministry of Local Government and District Affairs today adopted the temporary building and subdivision ban. The ban does not decide how the land will be used in the future. The intention is that it should give time and opportunity to assess what alternatives exist. The government writes that on its pages. This is the land Ikea wants to build a new warehouse on. Photo: Vegar Erstad Necessary to take national interests into account In June, a majority of the municipal council in Vestby came in to support the plans for a new warehouse. It is not the first time that Ikea has had plans for a warehouse in the same area. But in 2019, they decided to drop the plans. The politicians then declared that the land would continue to be used for food production, also in the future. When they changed their minds this year, several people reacted, including the Norwegian Farmers’ Association. – The Ministry of Local Government and Districts has taken note of the process, and the state administrator’s statement, and believes it is necessary to make an assessment of the land purpose based on consideration of national goals and interests, they write in the press release. Dealing with preparedness Erling Sande (Sp), local government and district minister, says it was important to put a temporary ban in place now. – It is about national preparedness and consideration for soil conservation. Food production is an important part of our preparedness, and the world is changing. Erling Sande (Sp), municipal and district minister. Photo: Frank Nygård / news He says that it is such a large area that they want time to properly familiarize themselves with the matter. They will also, together with the local politicians, look at whether the department store can be built elsewhere. Sande points out that the Storting has been clear that the build-up of topsoil must be limited in the future. The goal is not to build down more than 2,000 decares a year by 2030. – And here we are talking about 70 decares. So it is clear that the ministry intervenes in the matter. Sande explains that the scope is an important part of the government now intervening in the plans. He believes that municipal self-government is important, but that national considerations weigh heavily in this matter. Ikea believes it is unfortunate. Ikea writes in an e-mail to news that they have just seen the government’s decision themselves. – We think this is unfortunate, says press guard Joachim Dagenborg. He believes they have always been clear that the topsoil can be taken care of, at the same time as the warehouse is being built. Joachim Dagenborg, press officer at Ikea, believes it is possible to both build a new warehouse and take care of the soil. Photo: Susanne A. Finnes – The premise for construction is that the valuable topsoil is secured by moving it to a suitable location. We believe it is possible to protect the soil and at the same time build a trade center that contributes to economic growth and new jobs. Dagenborg believes that it is important to have predictable framework conditions when making long-term and larger investments in Norway. They have experienced that as demanding in this case. – Now we will go through the government’s decision carefully, and assess what this means for the project, he says. A day of joy – This is a day of joy! Not just for the Ikea land in Vestby, but for soil conservation in the whole of Norway, says Sigrid Hjørnegård, secretary general of the Norwegian Farmers’ Association. The farmers’ association has been active in the debate about the land. They believe that Norway needs independent food production for the sake of preparedness. Sigrid Hjørnegård, general secretary of the Norwegian Farmers’ Association, believes this is a symbolic matter. Photo: Norges Bondelag – So the most important signal is that now food security is important. That now we need the scarce cultivated land we have in Norway for food, says Hjørnegård. She believes the decision shows that if the municipalities do not take sufficient account of the national soil conservation goals, the government can intervene. – It is good that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs has used the tools that are possible, she says. – Just to congratulate the government Agricultural policy spokesperson for Rødt, Geir Jørgensen, is satisfied with the temporary ban that has come into place. – Here it is only to congratulate the government for having taken a step in the right direction to prevent the development of important arable land, says Jørgensen to news. He believes that Norway is dependent on increasing its own food production going forward. Agricultural policy spokesperson for Rødt, Geir Jørgensen, expects a final stop to the development of Ikea on Delijordet. Photo: Dan Robert Larsen – If we are to succeed in this, we need to take care of high-quality topsoil like this. It is much more important than Ikea. Because topsoil is built down bit by bit, every single case is important, says Jørgensen. He says that Rødt now expects that a final stop will be put to the decommissioning of Delijordet. Nature and Youth are also positive about the ban. – This is a great victory for soil conservation, and a reunion with a long-missed power of action, says Ole Dolmseth, agricultural policy spokesperson for Nature and Youth. – We don’t eat furniture in this country, says Ole Dolmseth, spokesperson for agricultural policy at Natur og Ungdom. Photo: Nature and Youth
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The government stops Ikea warehouses on fields in Vestby – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
