The case in summary: Tor Arvid Hartviksen has recently taken over a house on Austvågøy and is in the process of renovating it. He has built a new flat in front of the front door and wanted to build a small roof over it. Hadsel municipality has demanded NOK 14,694 in construction fees for this measure, which Hartviksen believes is unreasonable. The head of technology in Hadsel municipality explains that many people must be involved in such matters, regardless of the size of the project. Mayor Kjell-Børge Freiberg admits that he was surprised by the cost and believes there is reason to discuss the processes surrounding simple extensions. Hartviksen hopes the municipality will reconsider the practice and create a fairer system. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. On idyllic Sommarhusstrand on the north side of Austvågøy, Tor Arvid Hartviksen has recently taken over an older house. He is well underway with renovations. Among other things, he has built a new flat in front of the front door. Hartviksen thought it might be okay to have a small roof, or flap, over the door. It would turn out to cost a fortune in construction fees. Tor Arvid bought this old house in Vesterålen, and intends to use it as a holiday home. Photo: Tor Arvid Hartviksen – This is a holiday home after all NOK 14,694. That was the total bill from Hadsel municipality after the application processes. – I think it sounds unreasonable. This is a holiday home for me, says Tor Arvid Hartviksen to news. It was Bladet Vesterålen that first mentioned the case. Hartviksen believes that it is a very expensive price to pay for a roof that will cover a small area. – It will be NOK 2,500 per square metre, he says and adds: – There is no reasonableness between the work Hadsel municipality has carried out and this bill. The municipality, for its part, believes that they lose money on such matters. Often feels unfair A small roof over a plating. How can it be such an expensive process for the municipality to accept? Technical manager in Hadsel municipality, Øyvind Stensø Skjørholm, explains that this is about many people having to be involved. Regardless of the size of the project. – Very often when you apply for permission to build, there are two issues involved: Regulation The building case itself – In this case, as in many cases, the person concerned must apply for exemption from a number of regulations in order to get the measure approved, explains Skjørholm. Technical manager in Hadsel municipality, Øyvind Stensø Skjørholm, says the municipality loses money on cases like this. Photo: private First you must therefore apply for a dispensation. It happens at the political level. You can then start with the building application. – It is not a new problem for us that it feels unfair to several people because they think there is only one issue. Since the home is located in the LNFR area, it must be consulted with the State Administrator, Nordland County Council and the Sámi Parliament. This again means that many people are involved – which costs money. – The reality for Hadsel municipality is that such processes cost us more in terms of hours than the bill. There are a lot of people going to the case, emphasizes Skjørholm. – Hartviksen feels it is unreasonably expensive for a small roof. What do you think about it? – I understand that it may appear unreasonable because it is a small matter. But the measure requires a dispensation and construction case processing, he replies and adds: – This case is banal because the measure is very small. But the Planning and Building Act does not distinguish between size or price. Mayors: – Reason to react Mayor Kjell-Børge Freiberg (Frp) admits that he was surprised when he heard how much such processes cost. – It is clear that when construction fees exceed what you actually build, there is reason to react, he says to news. Freiberg points out that they comply with a regulation that they collect a fee equal to the cost of the application. – Therefore, we must ensure that we in the municipality work as efficiently as possible. Kjell-Børge Freiberg (Frp) thinks the fee was surprisingly expensive. Photo: Markus Thonhaugen / news He continues: – So I think there should be a discussion about how the processes surrounding simple extensions to a cabin take place. Regarding the amount itself, Freiberg replies: – It shouldn’t cost NOK 14,000 to be allowed to do this on your own property. We should get something done about this. A good example that we need a discussion about what we spend our time on. Have you experienced what you believe to be unfairly high fees from your municipality? Hartviksen is now waiting for spring, so that the roof can be put in place. He believes that fees like this do not exactly encourage compliance with the law. He says that he has been in contact with the mayor and hopes that the municipality will reconsider the practice and create what he believes would be a fairer system. – We can only hope that the politicians see this unreasonableness and correct it, he concludes. The Homeowners’ National Association: – The politicians must follow along – We in the Homeowners’ National Association see that many municipalities have rather coarse-grained fee regulations, and get paid a little too well. That’s what Carsten Henrik Pihl, head of consumer and communications at the Home Owners’ National Association, says. Carsten Henrik Pihl is consumer and communications manager at the National Association of Homeowners. Photo: Birgitte Wold Ingebretsen / news When it comes to Hartviksen’s case, Pihl believes that the municipality should see if the case management could be made more flexible. – For example, by reusing arguments from earlier. It must be largely the same argument that is used each time. But that does not automatically mean that the fees will be lower. It is therefore important that the politicians in the municipality follow up on what rates they adopt. – The fee regulations often go under the radar of the politicians, so they must make sure that the municipality gets paid correctly, but not more than it costs the municipality. ALSO READ:
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Tor Arvid Hartviksen must pay NOK 14,694 for a small roof – news Nordland
