Monument at Sørbråten postponed by one year

The government wishes to ensure that the process surrounding the construction of monuments marking the 22 July tragedies is transparent, dignified and foreseeable. 

“I very much appreciate that this matter arouses strong feelings. The government is therefore focused on engaging in a constructive dialogue with affected parties regarding the memorials, and on ensuring that the process of constructing the memorials is dignified. Accordingly, ordinary zoning proceedings will now begin with respect to the memorial planned for Sørbråten in Hole municipality. We do not intend to take any shortcuts in this matter,” says Minister of Local Government and Modernisation Jan Tore Sanner.

“Neighbours and others will be heard during the planning process, as normal. This decision will also allow us to spend more time on the design of screening measures around the memorial, such as plants, as well as traffic management and accessibility measures,” says Sanner.

This means that the opening of the memorial at Sørbråten in Hole municipality will be postponed until 22 July 2016. The original plan was for the memorial to be opened on 22 July 2015. That would have required an application for dispensation from Hole municipality’s ordinary zoning procedure, as work would have had to begin before the municipality had considered its zoning plan. The government does not wish to advance the process in this way. Statsbygg will monitor work on the zoning plan.

“The choice and location of the artwork at Sørbråten has been decided. The Storting [the Norwegian parliament] has allocated funds for a memorial at Sørbråten in Hole,” says Minister of Culture Thorhild Widvey.

 

Facts about the memorials:

April 2012: The Kleveland Committee presents its report on memorials.

June 2012: The Stoltenberg Government decides that two permanent national memorials should be constructed to mark the attacks on 22 July 2011, one in the government quarter in Oslo and one in Hole municipality, as well as a temporary memorial close to the government quarter.

March 2013: The Stoltenberg Government decides that the national memorial to the Utøya tragedy should be located at Sørbråten in Hole municipality.

March 2013: Statsbygg is given responsibility for the organisation, construction (procurement of land, zoning and infrastructure), and future running of the memorial.

April 2013: The choice of location is announced by then-cabinet minister Rigmor Aasrud.

May 2013: Based on an option granted by the landowner, the State (represented by Statsbygg), concludes an agreement with the landowner for the lease of Sørbråten for use as a memorial.

July 2013: KORO – Public Art Norway – is given overall responsibility for the artistic design of the memorial. It is envisaged that the memorial in Hole and the temporary memorial in the government quarter will be completed by 22 July 2015. The permanent memorial in the government quarter is to be planned in connection with the reconstruction of the quarter.

December 2013: In response to a proposal from the previous government, the Storting (the Norwegian parliament), approves a budget of NOK 13.5 million for Statsbygg’s work and, in connection with the rebalancing of the budget, allocates NOK 1 million for work to begin on the construction of a national memorial at Sørbråten.

February 2014: The committee appointed to coordinate the art projects – which includes representatives from the national support group for the victims of the 22 July attacks and the Norwegian Labour Party Youth League – unanimously crowns the project winner. The artist Jonas Dahlberg is chosen to design the three memorials.

April 2014: Relatives and other affected parties have meetings with cabinet ministers Jan Tore Sanner and Thorhild Widvey.