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Local Round-Up: Copenhagen’s future island district breaks new ground

In the less-distant future, the city also looks to improve accessibility

Luke Roberts

On Monday, a public consultation began with regard to the environmental impact of Lynetteholm – the enormous new island set to be built between Refshaleøen and Nordhavn. The new district will house approximately 35,000 residents, ease congestion in existing parts of the city, and protect Copenhagen from storm surges.

Until 25 January 2021, Copenhageners have the opportunity to give their thoughts on the environmental impact of establishing a huge new chunk of land. Any adjustments will then feature in the final proposal when it is eventually submitted to Parliament.

Protecting mind and body
It is a huge undertaking. The original proposal was for an area of land measuring 190 hectares but this has since been increased to 282. This added space is intended to create a nature belt – similar to Amager Strandpark – made up of forests, plains, sand and pebbles. Previous plans had instead included a dyke built close to the area’s buildings.

“The politicians at Copenhagen City Hall saw in the autumn the opportunity to make a new large beach and park area, so you use storm surge protection to give something to the city’s residents,” Anne Skovbro, the head of By and Havn, explained to DR.

According to Skovbro, the environmental impact report does not identify any serious consequences that could hinder the project. “It looks really food: better than we had hoped for in fact,” she stated.

Not all plain sailing
A project of this size, however, was always going to be a logistical nightmare. For many years past, trucks have been dumping earth in Nordhavn in anticipation of the start of the project. Now, the environmental report instructs that the land must be transported from Prøvestenen in northern Amager.

Roughly 350 trucks a day are currently arriving in Copenhagen in relation to the project. In future they will have to drive to Amager rather than Nordhavn, from where the materials will be sailed across to Prøvestenen. The alteration is a bid to protect residents in Margretheholm from too much disruption.

Building work could begin as early 2021 and continue until 2070 according to the plan.

Travellers avoid crossing the Sound
Since the second wave of coronavirus infections began and the authorities began regulating the border, traffic over the Øresund Bridge has fallen sharply. Between November 16 and 22, some 56,404 people travelled on the Øresund train – a 74 percent decrease on last year’s figures. Similarly, vehicular traffic declined by around 44 percent to 68,778 crossings.

Accessible, accessible Copenhagen
A new initiative is being launched to make life easier for wheelchair users in Copenhagen. Four accessibility routes around the city are being developed by the City of Copenhagen: in Lergravsparken, Nørrebro and the city centre, and also at Valby Station. Work is already underway on two of the routes, with all four expected to be ready for use by the end of next year. Among other things, it will include the addition of ramps and guidelines, as well as the fixing of uneven pavements.

Copenhagen firebomber avoids deportation
A 32-year-old man responsible for attacking Christiansborg with firebombs in February of this year has been allowed to keep his passport. The man was also a Romanian and Jordanian citizen, though he did not know it. He has avoided prison on the grounds that he has been declared insane and instead is being held in a psychiatric ward indefinitely. He pleaded guilty to being behind the firebombs, but denied having done so to endanger the government or politicians.

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