Removing the toxic soil will be very expensive.
According to the municipality's original plans , a new residential area would have been built in Bureå, west of Feriegatan. The 35 new plots would have been ready for development by the summer of 2022 and available for construction in 2023.
A new block was also planned in Örviken, with an entrance from Färjevägen. These 27 plots were also expected to become available this year.
In an ideal world, construction would have started by now.
But what was not known was that the land in Bureå and Örviken was contaminated. This was discovered when geological surveys were carried out prior to construction.
When will someone live on Examensgatan in Bureå? The planned expansion of an entirely new block has been put on hold.
The contamination consists of various heavy metals, and the levels are so high that the topsoil has to be removed before housing can be built.
The metals are old fallout from Rönnskärsverken and are not immediately dangerous. However, they can affect people in the long term if they are ingested.
– We have to remove and dispose of between one and three decimeters of surface soil. This applies to entire blocks, so it's a lot of soil, says Patrik Larsen, head of land and development at Skellefteå municipality.
– We have therefore stopped developing these two areas, as it would be too expensive at the moment. Each new area has to cover its own costs, and we have to consider what the land can be sold for later on.
– We are currently investigating whether there are alternative uses for the soil in the local area and whether there are alternative ways to remedy it. It's mainly the cost of disposal that's too high, so we're trying to avoid that.
The new block is nestled within the existing development, relatively central in Bureå.
It is already known that the municipality's undeveloped land in Skelleftehamn has high metal levels. The municipality has now put on hold all of its available plots in Skelleftehamn, Bureå and Örviken that are located on undeveloped land, as the problem is likely to be present in all of them.
– However, we will develop four new plots on Filgatan in Bureå. The samples there did not show high levels. Probably because it was previously excavated, and the soil moved, says Larsen.
Later this autumn, Filgatan will be expanded, and there will be excavations for water and sewage. The plots will not be released for sale until they are ready for construction.
Residential area that may be built in Örviken.
When the municipality made the decisions about the developments, it was thought that the plots in Örviken would cost 250,000 kronor each and in Bureå 300,000 kronor each
The municipality is currently working with the landlords' trade association MittNord to try to ease regulations on extending current accommodation, as well as joining with Northvolt in asking central government to implement some measures to encourage construction of new residences in the Skellefteå area, and other northern regions involved in the green transition.