Tórshavn considers Húsahagi cycle trail after plan loses support

Tórshavn Municipality is considering building a mountain bike trail in Húsahagi after its plan for a route by Vesturvarði lost support in the municipal council, Kringvarp Føroya reports. The leaseholder of Húsahagi advises against the alternative.

The municipality had been working on a cycle trail by Vesturvarði, but that plan is now unlikely to proceed. It faced opposition from horse riders and was also appealed to the conservation authorities.

On Thursday evening, the municipal council announced that the plan no longer had majority support. It will now review the proposal and examine other options.

One possible alternative is Húsahagi. Tummas A. Rubeksen, the leaseholder of the grazing area, said a route has been drawn through the lower part of Húsahagi, where the municipality is now considering placing the mountain bike trail for next year’s Island Games.

Rubeksen said he opposed building the trail there because the lower part of the grazing area had largely been left undisturbed. He said other locations had already seen greater intervention in nature and that the municipality owned an entire grazing area where a trail could be built.

He also said the municipality appeared to be rushing the process to build the trail as quickly as possible, before taking over the land. In his view, the project should be planned properly rather than treated as a panic solution. The Island Games will be held in the Faroe Islands from July 3 to 9 next year.