Breiðholt Residents Dissatisfied With Warehouse Location

RÚV reports that residents of Árskógur street in Breiðholt are displeased about the construction of a warehouse near their homes.

The warehouse is an 11.000 square metre building currently under construction on Álfabakki 2. It is meant to house the facilities of the Hagar conglomerate subsidiaries Eldum Rétt and Ferskar Kjötvörur.

According to RÚV,  neighbours were unaware of what would be built at the site, as the lot’s zoning plan was frequently changed until being confirmed in 2022. At least eight apartments are directly affected by the building.

Clear, adverse impacts

In conversation with RÚV, environmental psychologist Páll Jakob Líndal claims three reasons the building will have adverse impacts on the neighbours.

First, natural lighting in the apartments will be reduced; second, people will lose the view from their windows; and third, the lack of community consultation in the planning process, resulting in the loss of autonomy over people’s local environment. Compiling these factors, Páll concludes that the construction has clear, negative impacts.

Ambiguous responsibility

Vísir spoke with chair of Reykjavík’s planning board and city councillor Dóra Björt Guðjónsdóttir on the radio show Reykjavík Síðdegis. Dóra stated that the reason for the lot’s frequent planning changes were partly due to the goal of limiting the adjacent highway’s noise pollution for the residential buildings.

Authorities were told, claimed Dóra, that the headquarters of a large company should rise on the spot. Pressed whether city authorities are responsible, Dóra did not give a definitive answer, emphasising that the lot was zoned for industrial use.

Photo of apartment block in Breiðholt, not the impacted area.