Finnish residents rally against seaside development, demand return of harbor area to municipal ownership

Residents of Sadat’s archipelago have rallied against the seaside village development planned by well-known businessman and former member of parliament, Eero Lehti, in Pyhtää on the eastern Gulf of Finland. The residents are demanding that the Keihässalmi harbor area, which is part of the seaside village, be returned to municipal ownership.

A petition initiated by local resident Tommy Larvi has gathered over 300 participants in just two weeks. The signatories fear that they will lose their access to Keihässalmi as it is private property. The harbor has been a key departure and arrival point for holidaymakers and boaters in the Pyhtää archipelago for decades.

The current owner of the harbor, Eero Lehti, plans to develop around 50 residential plots along the coast, suitable for year-round living. He bought the seven-hectare plot from the municipality of Pyhtää two years ago for 450,000 euros.

However, residents fear the loss of Keihässalmi due to restrictions imposed by Lehti last spring. A previously public boat launch site has been closed off with stone barriers, and parking in the area is now subject to a fee. Lehti restricted the use of the harbor area after the street construction plans for the area were appealed to the administrative court. According to Lehti, this has effectively halted the sale of plots and blocked the construction of streets in the area.

Despite this, Pyhtää’s mayor Terhi Lindholm states that the municipality and Lehti have an ongoing agreement on the development of Keihässalmi. The municipality has already invested around one million euros in the area, including municipal engineering. However, the petition initiated by Larvi will not be ignored. “We will discuss it when municipal meetings resume in August,” says Lindholm.