Faroese government admits failure to maintain residential buildings

The Faroese government has acknowledged it failed to properly maintain residential buildings in Eirargarður, leaving them in such poor condition that they can no longer house people, health minister Eyðdis Hartmann Niclasen told public broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya.

The buildings, part of a housing complex in the capital area, were transferred to Faroese authorities in 1977 along with the national hospital’s maternity ward. A 1999 inspection—followed by reviews in 2005 and 2009—had already documented their deteriorating state, according to the Ministry of Health and Energy.

“The political leadership must take responsibility for the fact that these residential buildings have not been maintained as they should have been,” Niclasen stated after a decision confirmed the structures were unfit for habitation.

The affected blocks, identified as Eirargarður 4, 6, and 8, will now be vacated.