City and port developers By & Havn have revealed their plans for Amager Fælled, the urban nature area in south Copenhagen. A 40-hectare large, green zone near the Sundby metro station will be transformed into a new neighbourhood with several 7-storey apartment buildings offering 2,000-3,000 housing units, as well as with shops, supermarkets, parking and daycare centres. Construction companies are currently submitting their project proposals and By & Havn hope that construction work will commence in 2017-2018 and that the first residents will be able to move in two years later. [1] That old beach meadow was back in 1992 given to a commercial company By & Havn by the municipality and the government for payment of the Copenhagen Metro. The agreement is part of the national law for the area. Hereby they repelled an ongoing preservation law which one-day prior had legally been adopted.
Today this old meadow, with several species listed nationally and internationally for preservation is designated for being parceled out for building.
The area is unique for its great bio diversity which have survived all these years because the land has never been cultivated by the farming industry. Due to its location, environmental hazards from fertilizers and pesticides have been limited.
Today nearly 30 years after the legislation have been adopted we have been more aware of the importance of preserving the nature but due to its monetary costs this awareness has not rubbed off on the politicians. Scientists have already warned the project will create irreversible impacts. One of the issues would be flooding due to Amager Fælled’s low position. In addition, there would be the elimination of critical habitats and species, and potential contamination throughout the construction process and even in the long-term.
The closeness of the project to surrounding areas – for example, a nearby lake that many bird species inhabit – could also be devastating.[2]
(See less)