"Skebo should be able to be responsible for the construction until there is more predictability in the market and more actors are willing to start," says municipal director Kristina Sundin Jonsson.
Norran has reported this week about all the current housing projects in Skellefteå municipality. In a number of cases it is not clear when or even if they will be started. In addition, Northvolt's CEO, Peter Carlsson, expressed concern that Northvolt Ett's growth in personnel - both employees and contractors - could outpace the growth in housing in the region.
Kristina Sundin Jonsson, director of Skellefteå municipality, said:
– Housing is the number one priority that we are working on right now. If we look back a year, everything looked great in terms of current and future housing construction. Then high inflation and higher interest rates hit, and the whole country slowed down. I completely agree that this is urgent. If we don't build houses, it will hinder our development.
Last week, county governor Helene Hellmark Knutsson met with about 40 stakeholders in the housing issue in Västerbotten, including municipalities, companies, banks, and others, with a continued common goal of "initiating cyclical cooperation".
– We are gathering all the resources to make this happen. Ideally, we would like the business sector to build, but if they don't, we, Skebo, will do the building, says Sundin Jonsson, who is also the CEO of Skebo's parent company, Skellefteå Stadshus.
Skellefteå municipality will no longer tolerate passive actors.
– We used to be generous and let them keep their land allocations even after the allocation period had expired. That's no longer the case. Actors must, among other things, demonstrate financing, start construction, and ensure that it is completed on time for occupancy, or we will take it back. In these cases, if there is no other external actor that can take over, we will work with Skebo, she says, and continues:
– We are in talks with all the companies that have land allotments now. They have to prove themselves. Otherwise, they will not get extensions. We are well aware that the last quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year will have to see a lot of activity. We have said that we will build 1,000 houses a year. We have a high production rate this year and a fairly high rate next year. It is 2025/2026 that we are worried about, says Sundin Jonsson.
Skellefteå municipality is also contacting those who have bought land for house building but have not yet started.
– Can we take it back somehow? Can we buy it? There is now an intensive dialog with all companies that have land allocations.
Heimstaden is one of the players in Skellefteå, here in Västra Erikslid. The question now is what they do with the land the company owns in Anderstorp.
– Skebo should be able to take responsibility for increased construction until there is more predictability in the market and more builders are willing to start, says Sundin Jonsson.
Municipal director Kristina Sundin Jonsson says that the municipal housing company Skebo's investment in the market will increase in the future if other housing developers are inactive.
– Skebo will invest billions. It will invest more than the company has invested in recent years. We have told the business sector and Northvolt that we have a plan B. We have this tool in our own family, and we must use it now, says Sundin Jonsson.
A total of 1,200 new apartments are planned in Skellefteå municipality by 2026. Do you expect to meet this demand?
– I hope so. I think we will find many solutions in the last quarter of this year.