Councillor seeks to halt further Skálafell development

Plans to develop the Skálafell ski area may be in jeopardy after the capital region ski areas’ cooperation committee agreed to examine whether a 2018 development agreement should be reviewed, mbl.is reports.

The committee voted to ask the board of the Association of Municipalities in the Capital Area to discuss whether the agreement should be reconsidered, including both its implementation plan and the amounts allocated. Skálafell is currently closed despite the agreement reached in 2018.

Magnús Benediktsson, an Independence Party municipal councillor in Seltjarnarnes, said the estimated cost of the development could reach 6 billion. He said the plans did not reflect his party’s priorities, particularly given current conditions in society.

Magnús described the project as a pet project, arguing that a large ski area is already in operation and that there was no reason to run another of a similar size. He said he had promised voters and residents of Seltjarnarnes to manage public funds responsibly and set the right priorities.

“At this point, I believe further development at Skálafell must be stopped. In addition, the project must be completely reassessed from the ground up before further investments are made,” Magnús said in his written statement.

There was not unanimous support within the committee for cancelling the development. Valdimar Birgisson, a deputy municipal councillor for Viðreisn in Mosfellsbær, submitted a statement calling for the agreement to be honoured.

“The representative of Mosfellsbær demands that this agreement be honoured and that Skálafell be opened as soon as possible,” Valdimar said.