Helsinki loses court battle over forest area use

Helsinki has lost a legal dispute over plans to build a temporary daycare centre in a forested area in the city’s Herttoniemi district, after the Helsinki Administrative Court rejected the city’s appeal.

The case centres on a small forest plot on Siilitie, where city officials had approved a 10-year permit in June 2025 for a temporary daycare facility to serve as additional and interim space during nearby renovations and new construction until 2035.

A local housing company, Asunto Oy Helsingin Hertta, filed a complaint against the permit. The city’s environment and permit board upheld the complaint and revoked the construction licence, citing conflicts with Helsinki’s own nature conservation goals. The city then appealed to the administrative court, effectively challenging its own political decision-makers.

The court ruled that the board had correctly exercised its discretion. It found that the planned building would have exceeded the zoning plan’s construction rights by 32 square metres, with a 0.7-metre overrun on the northeast edge. The project would also have required felling two of 33 trees marked for preservation and failed to implement a planned tree row on the western edge of the plot.

The administrative court stated that temporary construction cannot justify deviations from land use law or zoning regulations. The ruling is not yet final and can be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court if leave to appeal is granted.