Court overturns most of Koli luxury cabin plan

Plans for a luxury cabin village in Koli’s national landscape have been set back after the Eastern Finland Administrative Court overturned most of the shoreline plan for Rintasenvaaran hill, Yle reported.

The court said the plan’s rules did not adequately ensure that the valuable landscape would be preserved. The decision affects the North Karelia Cooperative’s proposal to build tourist accommodation on the hill.

The court found that the plan did not sufficiently control construction. It set no limits on the number of buildings or where they could be placed within the designated blocks, although their number, size and intended use matter when assessing the impact on the landscape.

The plan was overturned for the hill’s slopes and summit. It remains in force for one block on the lower slope, where buildings and a completed road already exist. Apartment buildings are planned there.

Lieksa city approved the amended shoreline plan in spring 2025. Five appeals were filed. Among the appellants was the North Karelia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, now part of the Permit and Supervisory Agency, which argued that construction on and near the summit would damage a nationally valuable landscape.