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TEISEN, OSLO (Nettavisen): Already in May, it will be easier to build a terrace and smaller extensions on your own property, reveals Local Government Minister Nikolai Astrup (H) to Nettavisen.
The government is making a change in regulations, which means it can build more without asking the municipality for permission.
– We want to make it easier and cheaper for people to take small steps on their property without having to involve the municipality. These are major changes that lead to less bureaucracy and people gain more freedom, Astrup says.
See the video interview with Astrup above.
The online newspaper meets the Minister in a winter-covered residential area in Teisen in Oslo, where terraces and gardens are close together, and where the new building rules will matter in practice.
Astrup states that the new rules will take effect from May 1.
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Increases to one meter
And if you thought that the “meter” was only important for distance during the corona pandemic, now it will also be important to take into account the changes that are made.
– The meter is important in our daily lives, but it will also be here, says Astrup, and takes out a tape measure to show what is allowed when building a terrace.
Because although today you must request permission from the municipality to build terraces that are more than 0.5 meters above the finished level ground, with the new rules you can build terraces that have a height of up to 1.0 meters from the existing ground without application.
– This will take effect from May 1, in time for the decking season, so hopefully it will be useful to many who later have the opportunity to build a deck, he says.
– Not near the neighbor
Astrup says there are still some requirements that are in place, even if you don’t have to submit an application to the municipality: The terrace must be connected to a building and not protrude from the facade more than 4.0 meters.
– You can have a railing that is 1.2 meters high, and then of course it should not be near the neighbor, but beyond that you can build, says Astrup.
The distance from the terrace to the neighboring boundary must be at least 1.0 meter.
– What do you do if the ground below the terrace is sloping?
– The starting point is that it is measured from where it is lowest, but it is entirely possible to plan the terrain, says the Minister.
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No app extension
In addition, the government allows the construction of a house or cabin of up to 15 square meters, to be used for housing and permanent residence, without applying for a building permit. Permanent residence means a room such as a bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom.
As is the case with the current exemption provision in the building regulations, you can build up to 15 square meters, but only rooms that will not be used as a permanent residence.
– This means that people can expand their kitchen, build another bedroom or make small adjustments without having to ask for it. It’s good for those who will take the measure, but it’s also good for the planning and construction agency, which then frees up capacity that they can use for other things, Astrup tells Nettavisen in the cold winter weather.
But the requirement is that the extension is at least 4.0 meters from the neighboring boundary.
– In the municipality of Oslo, it takes 161 days to get a case officer in the planning and construction department, and then it may be good if we help them a bit along the way by freeing up some capacity, he adds.
– Do not fear complaints from neighbors
Astrup emphasizes that the changes will make the construction of people cheaper.
– It costs to apply to the municipality. Construction case fees also vary widely, but the starting point is that municipalities should not demand more than it costs to process the application. Obviously, there is a big difference in how much it costs to process applications in municipalities, so it will save people time, money and frustration, he says.
However, those who want to build will be responsible for clarifying if the terrace or extension is in accordance with the regulations, including the area plans, the regulations in urban and building legislation and other public law legislation.
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And since the measures do not require an app, no notification to neighbors is required.
– Are you not afraid of more complaints from neighbors now that it will depend more on the individual to build?
– No, I do not do that. We have also previously had several measures that have been exempt from application, such as the construction of a garage. It has been the same concern each time, that there will be more complaints from neighbors, but there have been no more complaints and it has gone very well, Astrup emphasizes.
– Big rice behind the mirror
The Minister of Local Government and Modernization does not fear more illegal constructions either.
– I think we should have as a starting point that people follow the laws and rules that apply, and have confidence in the majority of people that they follow the guidelines that apply. This is also the case today, but while there is an obligation to apply, there are probably some who don’t follow those rules anyway, Astrup says.
It indicates that the Building Quality Directorate will provide guidance on how the new regulations will be understood.
– For most people, the risk of having to demolish an extension or terrace will be a rice big enough behind the mirror to get to know the rules, he says.
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– Some are skeptical
– How do you think people receive it?
– Until now, all the simplifications we have made have been received with enthusiasm among the people and some skepticism among the professional authorities in the surrounding area. But it has turned out that it has gone very well, that we do not need to involve the municipality in all the small adjustments to your property. On the contrary, it turns out that people manage the trust they have earned very well, Astrup says.
The regulatory change has been the subject of consultation and the deadline expired before Christmas, where many came with comments on the proposals.
– There are many who are excited, and then there are some who are skeptical. That will always be the case, he says.
Notification period: four weeks
Another thing that is regulated is that the municipality must be notified no later than four weeks after the measure has been completed. This is not scheduled today.
The current rules also do not establish what data is necessary to obtain updated and correct cartographic and cadastral data. The provision now establishes what information must be communicated to the municipality.
In addition, it is stipulated in the regulations that a building must be at least 1.0 meter from another building in order to be separated. Today, it is not defined in the legislation what minimum distance is required between two buildings to be considered independent.
The term “attached” is a key condition for the municipality’s right to approve the location of certain buildings closer to the neighboring boundary than the main rule of the law, which is 4.0 meters, without requiring a waiver request.
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