Reykjavík plans to revoke unbuilt mosque and church plots

Reykjavík plans to revoke plots allocated to the Muslim Association of Iceland and the Russian Orthodox Church because they have remained undeveloped for years, mbl.is reports. The city’s mayor says the plots could instead be used for housing or businesses.

The proposed revocation of the Muslim Association’s allocation is on the agenda of Reykjavík City Council on Thursday. The association was allocated a plot at Suðurlandsbraut 76 in September 2013, with plans to build a mosque there. No mosque has been built.

The council is also considering revoking plots allocated to the Russian Orthodox Church at Bræðraborgarstígur 2 and Bakkastígur 8 in 2008. No construction has taken place on either plot.

If the city council votes against revoking the allocations, the matter will go to the next meeting of Reykjavík City Council for a final decision.

“These are important plots that were allocated around 15 years ago but are still vacant,” Mayor Hildur Björnsdóttir told Morgunblaðið. She said the plot holders had been given an opportunity to respond to the proposed revocations, and it had become clear that no development was planned in the near future.

“We have been mapping vacant plots in the city because we intend to increase activity in Reykjavík, both in business and housing development. These plots could be used either for housing or strong businesses and generate important income for the city treasury,” Björnsdóttir said.

The allocation to the Muslim Association was controversial when it was made and has remained so. During the run-up to Reykjavík’s 2014 municipal elections, candidates debated whether the plot should be taken back.

The Muslim Association of Iceland was established in 2017 and had 578 members on May 1, 2025. The other Muslim organisation in Iceland, the Muslim Foundation of Iceland, had 840 members in September of the same year and operates what is known as the “Grand Mosque” at Skógarhlíð in Reykjavík.

The congregation belonging to the Muslim Association of Iceland follows Sunni Islam, the larger of the two main branches of the faith.

Morgunblaðið reported in February 2024 that the association’s deadline for building a mosque at Suðurlandsbraut was due to expire that summer. No action appears to have been taken until the political majority in Reykjavík changed following last spring’s elections.

The Salvation Army has expressed interest in the Muslim Association’s plot. The organisation built new headquarters on the neighbouring plot several years ago. Unlike the Muslim Association, Ásatrúarfélagið, the Russian Orthodox Church and Buddhists, the Salvation Army was required to pay a fee of nearly 60 million Icelandic krónur for its plot, despite being a registered religious organisation.