Soon it may be easier to demolish and build new on your own property without having to apply.
Watch video interview with Minister of Local Government Nikolai Astrup (H):
OSLO (Nettavisen): This winter, Minister of Local Government and Modernization Nikolai Astrup (H) was able to reveal to Nettavisen that it would be easier to build a terrace and smaller extensions on one’s own property without having to apply.
Now the minister says he wants to go even further. It will be easier to replace an old garage with a new one.
– We are concerned with simplifying the regulations, and in recent years have exempted a number of measures from the obligation to apply. This makes it easier for people, but also for the municipality that does not have to process an unnecessary application, says Astrup to Nettavisen.
According to Statistics Norway (SSB), there are around 1.3 million garages and outbuildings in Norway, so the change could have an impact on many Norwegians.
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– Can stand for another 50 years
The online newspaper meets Astrup in a summer-clad residential area on Risløkka in Oslo, where the detached houses and garages are close together.
– Now we believe that the time has come to solve a problem that many have, namely that you have an old garage that is in poor condition, but if you are going to do something about it, you must take into account new requirements that have come afterwards, he says.
Since the garage was built, the degree of utilization of the plot may have been tightened, so that if you demolish the garage, you may not be allowed to build a new one.
– We think that is wrong. It must be entirely possible to build a new garage if there has been an old one there, but there is a need to build a new one because the old one is dilapidated, Astrup states.
Another example he refers to is whether the garage is too close to the road according to today’s requirements.
– If the garage has been there for 50 years, it will be able to stand a garage there for another 50 years. It must be possible to list a new one, he believes.
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– Without looting and heft
The minister responsible for the Planning and Building Act, which regulates all construction activities in Norway, believes many who are desperate about the current regulations.
– I think there are many who know about that problem. We have received several feedbacks from people who say that they have an old garage that is falling apart, says Astrup, and emphasizes:
– It can also be a natural damage, fire or flood, and then you can not build a similar garage as the one that stood there before, because new building rules or planning requirements from the municipality have come into force. Here there should be no need for a dispensation from the municipality, but there must be something you are allowed to do without there being any looting and encumbrance with it.
– You give more trust to people. Do you not fear that more people will then take a little extra in and do more illegalities?
– No, I’m not afraid of that. We excluded the construction of a garage up to 50 square meters without the obligation to apply. Many said at the time that it would not go well and that there would be a lot of neighbor complaints, but it turns out that it has gone just fine, says Astrup.
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– Should not bother anyone
– So you do not fear more neighbor complaints?
– No, because rebuilding a garage like the one that stood there should not lead to any neighbor complaints at all. But for many, it is actually not possible to do so. If you are unlucky and your garage burns down or is damaged in a storm, you can therefore risk that you no longer have a garage, he says, and adds:
– In this case, we are talking about rebuilding a garage similar to the one that stood there, and it should not bother anyone. If, on the other hand, you are going to build something completely different, then other requirements apply and you must apply in the usual way.
He rather believes that the proposal will be positively received.
– This is about having trust in people, and that we should avoid spending too much bureaucracy on things we do not need to spend time and energy on. It fits into the series of proposals from this government that are about simplifications for people in everyday life, says Astrup.
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– Some people stretch the rules
– Do you feel that Norwegians are good at complying with the rules for building on their own property?
– Evenly, it seems that Norwegians are very good at it, and then of course there are always some who stretch the rules. It is important to emphasize that even if you are exempt from the obligation to apply, you must build within what the planning requirements are. So you can not build a garage of 50 square meters if it is not possible to utilize the plot with 50 square meters extra, he says.
– So you have to check a little even if there is no obligation to apply?
– Yes, and it is important that property data is updated. It is a requirement that you submit to the municipality what changes you have made even if it is application-free.
– Probably until next year
As Nettavisen was able to report in February, it was from 1 May easier and cheaper to build a terrace and smaller extensions on your own property without having to apply to the municipality.
Astrup says that the goal is to introduce the new changes as soon as possible.
– It will probably not be until next year, but we are starting this work now and will work as quickly as possible, he says.
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