Defence Forces to withdraw from four islands off Helsinki
The Defence Forces announced on Friday that four islands off Helsinki, which have been in military use, will be opened to the public.
Only a few military command and communications systems will remain on the island, but otherwise, the Defence Forces are withdrawing from Vallisaari Kuninkaansaari, Kuivasaari, and Rysäkari. The future use of the islands will be determined by the end of next year. The report will be drawn up in cooperation with several ministries and officials.
The reason for the withdrawal is that the Defence Forces have no need for fixed coastal artillery.
Maintaining the buildings on the islands also incurs expenses. For instance, the rent of the buildings in Kuivasaari is more than EUR 200,000 a year.
There is still no information as to what the islands will be used for when the military gives them up. They are unique nature habitats, and have a good deal of cultural heritage linked with Finnish defence.
All four islands that are to be opened up have an historic connection with the island fortress of Suomenlinna, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Plans are primarily to use the islands for tourism and recreation. Some of them might even accommodate a small amount of housing.
Mikko Härö of the National Board of Antiquities said on Friday that the board does not want to put a ban on building on the islands. “However, the idea of speculative business and residential construction is quite alien to us.”
The islands that are to be relinquished are owned by the state via Metsähallitus, a state enterprise that administers more than 12 million hectares of state-owned land and water areas, and by Senate Properties, an enterprise operating under the Ministry of Finance, mainly providing property services to customers in the government.
Metsähallitus recently completed a maintenance plan for two of the islands, Vallisaari and Kininkaansaari. The plan is to go into print in the coming week. The plan estimates that more than EUR one million would be needed for the most urgent work on nature maintenance, building care, and documentation.
The withdrawal of the military form the islands will take place in 2010 at the earliest. In practice, the greatest factor slowing the process down is the need to clear away unexploded artillery shells.
It is possible that the islands will be opened to the public in stages.
The Defence Forces are in the process of relinquishing more than 40 islands.
In Helsinki several islands will remain in the hands of the military, the most important of which are the garrison island of Santahamina and Isosaari.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 6.10.2008 - TODAY |
 Defence Forces to withdraw from four islands off Helsinki |
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