Kópavogur rejects plans for 18 homes at Vatnsendi

Kópavur municipality has rejected a proposal to change its master and detailed plans to allow 18 new detached houses on the Vatnsendi estate by Lake Elliðavatn, mbl.is reported.

The planning and environment council rejected the application at its meeting after a heated debate. The proposal was opposed by three Independence Party representatives: Hjördís Ýr Johnson, Árnína Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir and Guðmundur Jóhann Jónsson. Andri Steinn Hilmarsson, also an Independence Party representative, abstained and did not endorse his colleagues’ statement.

The application was submitted on behalf of Magnús Pétur Hjaltested, the estate’s leaseholder. He is just over 20 and took over Vatnsendi after the death of his father, Þorsteinn Hjaltested, in 2018.

Vatnsendaland is one of the most disputed properties in Iceland. Numerous court cases have addressed ownership of the land over recent decades. A contested will has meant that the main ownership rights have passed to the eldest son in each generation, while the current leaseholder is required to farm the estate.

In their statement, the Independence Party representatives said the proposed changes would constitute significant densification of an area currently designated as open space. They nevertheless said road construction and related infrastructure in the area needed to be improved, and that measures to improve traffic safety should be accelerated before winter.

Einar Jóhannes Guðnason, a Centre Party councillor and observer on the council, said he regretted the rejection. He argued that the decision conflicted with the Independence Party’s stated view that property rights are fundamental human rights that should be strengthened and protected.

“The Centre Party believes it would have been more appropriate to allow the matter to proceed through the planning process, publish the proposal, seek comments and assess its environmental impact as appropriate,” Einar’s statement said. He also criticised the absence of proposed next steps or a timetable for the comprehensive planning referred to in the decision.

Representatives of the Social Democratic Alliance and Viðreisn abstained from the decision but submitted a joint statement questioning the majority’s rejection of the application. They said the area needed improvements to roads, lighting, sewage systems and traffic safety, and criticised the length of time the matter had taken without a clear outcome.

They said a more thorough and targeted process could have prevented substantial time and money from being spent without a decision, while urgent issues including children’s traffic safety and infrastructure development remained unresolved.