Defence Minister wants discussions on with City of Helsinki on Santahamina island garrison

Closures of military installations cause concern in affected communities

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Finland’s Minister of Defence Seppo Kääriäinen (Centre) says that he is ready to begin talks with the City of Helsinki on the future of the island of Santahamina, which now contains a large military garrison.
      The Defence Minister urges state and city representatives to meet and seek a solution that would satisfy both the "undeniable needs" of the Defence Forces and the city’s requirement for more housing.
      In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, the Defence Minister says that he wants to have a good discussion on the matter, and to avoid a fight.
      As Kääriäinen sees it, a "truce" prevails between the Defence Forces and the city over the use of islands owned by the military. He says that as a "man of peace" he would like city and state officials to begin discussions while the truce period is still in force.
     
Kääriäinen says that in the discussions both sides should "examine with open minds" how the city and the Defence Forces could continue to coexist, and under what conditions this should happen.
      The island of Santahamina, which lies east of the centre of Helsinki, is completely under the control of the Defence Forces. Kääriäinen says that the island can accommodate both the military garrison and a new residential area that the city needs. Military officials have opposed the idea, partly because of the firing ranges there.
      Helsinki, and especially the Green League, have long wanted to turn the whole island into a residential area.
      A week ago Deputy Mayor Pekka Korpinen (SDP) calculated that by 2050 up to 100,000 people could live in Santahamina. There have also been proposals to extend Helsinki’s Metro system to the island.
     
On Wednesday Kääriäinen is to submit a proposal for shutting down garrisons in different parts of the country. He says that Santahamina is not among the areas that will be affected.
      Meanwhile, the municipality of Tuusula, north of Helsinki, is concerned that the community could lose 450 jobs if the Hyrylä garrison is shut down.
      Calls to shut down Hyrylä have been opposed all over the Helsinki region. It has been proposed that the Helsinki Air Defence Regiment be transferred from Hyrylä to Hämeenlinna. Some soldiers have seen this as going against the government’s defence strategy.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Report calls for closure of four military garrisons as cost-cutting measure (16.2.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat