– We are satisfied that the roof will be lifted, it will enable the projects that are on the block of Sit right now. That’s what Øystein Fruseth Kristiansen, leader of the welfare council Gjøvik, Ålesund and Trondheim, says. The Røverdalen construction project in Gjøvik has been on hold since 2018 due to the cost frame. Now the construction of these student housing can continue. – How important is this case to the Norwegian Welfare Board? – It is a very important matter. After all, we have an action plan with various goals that we want to achieve as a working committee in the Norwegian Welfare Board. One of our goals has been to push it with a cost framework that affects how many homes can be built, says Lisa Haug Nilsen, media and coordination officer in the Welfare Council for Gjøvik, Ålesund and Trondheim. Lisa Haug Nilsen, media and coordination officer in the Welfare Council for Gjøvik, Ålesund and Trondheim says this has been a priority issue for the Welfare Council. Photo: Marthe Svendsen / news Several projects have stopped When the academic year started in autumn, almost 10,000 students were still queuing to get a place to live. At the same time, the student associations had plans for more student housing, which they were unable to build. The cost limit, i.e. the price it can cost to build one student dormitory, could not exceed NOK 1 million, if the State were to support the project. But increased construction costs and general price and wage growth meant that the Student Unions were unable to get the price for a dormitory down that far. – We have experienced this by the fact that we have not managed to get any offers from contractors that have been within that framework. This has meant that projects, which were actually ready for the start of construction, have stopped completely, says Aspås, who confirms that SiT can now get started with many planned projects. SATISFIED: Director of housing in SiT, Lisbeth Glørstad Aspås, says they have worked for a long time against the ministry to get the cost framework for dormitories adjusted. Photo: Øystein Eugene Hermstad Wants speed in construction In the state budget for next year, the government wants these projects to get started again. It therefore proposes to increase the cost frame to NOK 1.45 million per dormitory. At the same time, the government assumes that the students’ rent will not increase significantly as a result. – We want to speed up the construction of student housing in Norway. It is important for the student economy and for student welfare, says Research and Higher Education Minister Ola Borten Moe. The aim is for the number of student housing to be built to increase from around 1,000 to 1,600–1,700 per year in the years to come. – The economy of the joint ventures is good. They have over NOK 5 billion in equity and they make good money. BUILDING HOUSING: The student housing at Nardo in Trondheim has been planned for a long time, but SiT has so far not managed to get a contractor to take on the project within the cost framework. Photo: Agraff/Arkitekturfabrikken – More housing will be built The Student Union in Trondheim has student housing in Gjøvik, Ålesund and Trondheim. With today’s news, they will now be able to start building on Gjøvik. – Now we have a cost framework that is more in line with the real costs in the market. It is important to say that it is still tight. There must be good use of state funds, so that you make sure that the student accommodation is as cheap as possible, says Aspås. In Molde too, they are absolutely certain that more dormitories will now be built. – As the framework has been today, it has been a limitation. Now I am absolutely certain that more housing will be built, says director Bente Aure Myrstad of the Students’ Association in Molde.
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