Grindavík mayor demands changes to Þórkatla buyback plan

Grindavík Mayor Pétur Georg Markan says the state-owned real estate company Þórkatla must make major changes to its buyback plan after residents criticised it. He made the comments to mbl.is after meeting the company’s chief executive and a representative of the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday morning.

The meeting, held at 8.30 a.m., followed strong dissatisfaction voiced at a residents’ meeting in Grindavík on Wednesday. “I think it is fair to say that Þórkatla took a bit of a knock yesterday,” Markan said.

Earlier on Thursday, Grindavík’s town council declared it had no confidence in Þórkatla’s conduct and approach towards residents. It urged the company’s management to revise the plan in consultation with them.

Markan said the company must take residents’ criticism seriously and respond. “Drastic changes to the buyback plan are needed,” he said, adding that the issue was not only the plan’s details but also the lack of trust in the company. Rebuilding that trust, he said, must come before further work on the proposals.

Markan said it was positive that the plan had now been made public, allowing residents to discuss it and respond. He said he had emphasised at Thursday’s meeting that Þórkatla should take the residents’ message seriously and make changes. He believes the message was heard, though he said it remains to be seen whether the company can regain residents’ trust.