Municipalities agree to launch North Zealand coastal protection project

After 13 years of discussion, uncertainty and complaints, a coastal protection project for North Zealand can finally move forward, DR reports. A stone reef will be built off the coast, while 36 of the coastline’s 57 kilometres will receive sand nourishment.

The project, known as Nordkystens Fremtid, has repeatedly been delayed by rising costs, environmental concerns and disagreements over who should pay. The municipalities of Gribskov, Halsnæs and Helsingør have now found solutions to the outstanding issues.

Politicians in Gribskov are expected to approve the project at a council meeting on Tuesday. Halsnæs and Helsingør are also expected to vote in favour at upcoming council meetings.

The project is expected to cost more than 900 million kroner, according to a 2024 report. The state will contribute 86.7 million kroner, while the municipalities will finance their respective shares in different ways.

Helsingør Municipality will cover its entire share. Gribskov Municipality will pay 75 per cent, with property owners in the first row along the coast paying the remaining 25 per cent. In Halsnæs, those property owners will cover the full cost.

Gribskov Mayor Trine Egetved said she believed coastal protection should be the state’s responsibility rather than the municipalities’, but added that the municipality would take on the task. She warned that the financial burden would leave less money in the coming years for cycle paths and renovations to childcare facilities and schools.

Birgit Lund, a holiday-home owner near Vejby in Gribskov Municipality and chair of an association representing North Zealand dike and coastal protection groups, said she was relieved that the project might finally become reality. However, she said she would not feel fully reassured about her holiday home until the sand had been placed on the beach.

The coastal protection is expected to be completed in 2029.