Faroese committee recommends preserving Landsverk building authority

A Faroese working group has recommended preserving the current building authority structure at Landsverk while implementing necessary changes, according to a report by Faroese public broadcaster KVF.

The committee, established in April 2023 by then-Prime Minister Aksel V. Johannesen, was tasked with reviewing the general building permit system. Its members included John Rajani (Prime Minister’s Office), Bjarni Askham Bjarnason (Ministry of Finance), Elin Mortensen (Ministry of Fisheries and Transport), and Rakul Svabo Róadóttir (Prime Minister’s Secretariat).

The group evaluated three possible models for the building permit system. The first maintained the status quo, with the government responsible for planning, funding requests to parliament, and Landsverk as the building authority. The second model kept government responsibility but clarified roles, while the third proposed a single ministry overseeing all construction with a dedicated building advisory unit.

After consulting 14 public and private stakeholders, the committee found no support for the third model. Instead, it recommended retaining Landsverk as the building authority with targeted improvements, emphasizing the preservation of specialized knowledge and systemic expertise in one agency.

The proposed changes include simplifying Landsverk’s structure to focus on three core areas: financial management, project leadership, and contracts. The committee acknowledged past criticism of Landsverk but noted recent improvements in staffing, advisory functions, and overall building processes.