Sand mayor declines to pursue Mølheyggjarnir paths for now

The mayor of Sand will not initiate plans for wooden paths or routes at Mølheyggjarnir, a protected natural area, Kringvarp Føroya reports.

Sand Municipality has no concrete plans to build paths at Mølheyggjarnir, according to Mayor Kristian Oskar Henriksen.

On the television programme Degi og Viku on Friday evening, Michal Antony Charles Johannessen, head of Visit Sandoy, presented a proposal for a possible wooden path at the site. Henriksen said the idea came from Visit Sandoy but had not been discussed or submitted to the municipal council.

Mølheyggjarnir are protected under the 1970 Nature Protection Act, which places significant limits on what can be done in a protected natural area. Any work would require permission from the relevant authorities, including the Nature Protection Board.

Officials from the Environmental Agency have discussed with Sand Municipality the possibility of restricting traffic onto the flat north of Mølheyggjarnir. On good-weather days, many cars sometimes park there as families travel between the hills and down to the beach.

Henriksen said he did not consider cars driving onto and parking on the flat to be a major problem.

“We want to protect the beautiful nature, but people must also be able to enjoy it,” he said.

He said larger vehicles that sometimes drive past Mølheyggjarnir and down to the beach were a greater concern.

The mayor said he would discuss traffic and Mølheyggjarnir with the municipal councillors after the summer recess.