Reykjavík seeks site for Technical College

Reykjavík Mayor Hildur Björnsdóttir says there is cross-party support for finding the Technical College a site in the capital, mbl.is reports. The move would support vocational and technical education in the city.

The issue was discussed by Reykjavík City Council. Although the council’s discussions are confidential, Björnsdóttir said she believed she could disclose that there was broad political support for moving forward and beginning talks with the school.

She has previously said that a plot in Úlfarsárdalur, a new neighbourhood currently being planned, could be considered. The city is not the only municipality seeking to attract the Technical College. Mosfellsbær and Reykjanesbær have also expressed interest.

Björnsdóttir said any allocation of land would have to follow a formal legal process, but that discussions with the Technical College were now beginning.

She said Reykjavík offered several promising opportunities and that she would like to see a strong new Technical College established in the city’s upper districts. A school in Úlfarsárdalur could help create more opportunities there and have a positive effect on traffic flows, she said.

The proposed plot is not the only option under consideration, Björnsdóttir said. A school could serve as an anchor for the planned neighbourhood and help create the basis for services benefiting residents and the wider district.