Local summary: Sweden wants Denmark to stop dumping toxic Lynetteholm sludge in Køge Bay
Sweden wants Denmark to stop dumping sludge in Køge Bay because it is harmful to shipping.
From the site for the construction of the island of Lynetteholm in the port of Copenhagen near Nordhavn, approximately 228,000 cubic meters of sludge have been taken to Køge Bay and dumped into the sea since 6 January.
An additional 2.3 million will be dumped in the coming years.
Sweden’s Minister: It is harmful to marine life
Annika Strandhäll, the Swedish Minister of the Environment, has confirmed that she sent a letter on March 18 to the Danish government and appealed to them to stop, as it was the government that gave Copenhagen’s municipally owned By & Havn permission to proceed.
Specially aimed at the Ministers of Transport and the Environment, Trine Bramsen and Lea Wermelin, Strandhäll claims that Køgebukten is an “unsuitable” place for dumping contaminated sludge because it can “significantly affect the marine environment of the Sound and the Baltic Sea”.
Local municipalities also opposed
The Danish municipalities of Greve, Stevns, Køge, Solrød, Vallensbæk, Brøndby and Ishøj have formed “Fælles Front”, a movement to stop dumping.
Opponents claim that the sludge contains harmful toxins and nutrients, including heavy metals such as mercury and excess nitrogen (which is contrary to EU directives).
City Hall’s leftover funds earmarked climate, children and vulnerable
On Tuesday, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, Mayor of Copenhagen, received the necessary support to allocate unused funds from 2021 to three main beneficiaries: the climate, the children and the disadvantaged. It is believed that they will all receive triple-digit millions. Among the priority measures are improving safety for transport near schools, improving safety on selected cycle paths, offering rent subsidies to the homeless and housing to people with mental illness and spending SEK 7.3 million on giving the Sundbyvester Plads playground on Amager green. makeover.
The police admit that they did not have the right to do random checks to see if bicycles had been stolen
Copenhagen police did not have the legal authority to stop cyclists in February and check their bicycle serial numbers to see if they were stolen. A total of 3,800 cyclists were stopped and 30 were prosecuted. The police cited section 77 of the Traffic Act as justification for cyclists being stopped at random, but now admit that the law does not allow such checks. Instead, the police must have a reasonable reason or suspicion to stop someone. A city hall survey last summer showed that 20 percent of Copenhageners had a bicycle stolen in the previous year. There were a total of 14,429 reported bicycle thefts in Copenhagen in 2020, which resulted in only 138 people being prosecuted for theft.
City Hall back plans to allow outdoor dining on the street throughout the municipality
A majority at Copenhagen City Hall have supported the plans to allow more outdoor seating at bars and restaurants throughout the city – especially in the car parks outside the facilities. In 2020, City Hall introduced the concept in the city center, but the pandemic prevented efforts to take advantage and in 2021, only restaurants were allowed to do so. Approximately SEK 2.8 million has been set aside to help bar and restaurant owners live in the car parks. First, they must submit an application, as expansion will not be possible on roads where parking exceeds a certain demand. Permission from the police is also needed. Owners must pack their outdoor cafes no later than 22.00 to ensure that neighbors are not kept awake by quarrels.
Electric scooter companies sign agreements with Frederiksberg municipality
The electric scooter company Bolt has signed an agreement with Frederiksberg municipality to operate in the enclave. Over the next few months, 125 electric scooters will be released, which will be available for rent from selected parking zones that Bolt and the municipality have designed together. The scooters can easily be found and booked via the Bolt app. The municipality chose Bolt, which also operates scooters in Copenhagen and Odense, as it is the ideal partner to support its green ambitions with its sustainable service. Bolt is one of Europe’s leading electric scooter operators and oversees a fleet of more than 130,000 in 170+ cities in 20 countries.
Amager Fælleds Venner reports the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency to the ombudsman
Amager Fælleds Venner (AFV), the group that opposes plans to build extensively on public commons, has submitted an official complaint to the ombudsman regarding the Environmental Board’s, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s actions. Its complaint accuses the Environmental Protection Agency of “completely grotesque” double standards, and describes how the authority has ridiculed AFV’s efforts to document the presence of every protected great salamander, but failed to intervene when the City of Copenhagen removed seven “kvasbunker” – garden waste heaps reptile.
Vanløse church that was destroyed in a fire will be rebuilt
Hyltebjerg Church on Ålekistevej in Vanløse was largely destroyed by a fire on Monday evening. The remaining structure is unstable and this has made it difficult for investigators to determine the cause. However, they suspect that the fire was caused by an electrical fault. The pastor of the church was able to save important objects when he fled from the church together with the whole choir. One day after the fire, local authorities agreed to rebuild the church.
Three public harbor basins will be open until 30 September
The summer bathing season is extended by an extra month at Islands Brygge, Fisketorvet and Sluseholmen’s harbor baths. In recent years, higher early autumn temperatures have justified having indoor swimming pools open to the public and all three will be open until 30 September. City Hall has found SEK 700,000 extra in its budget to cover the costs.
City Hall will plant another 100 trees in Fælledparken
City Hall has confirmed plans to plant 100 trees in Fælledparken – partly to replace trees that were blown down in recent storms. The authorities will also cut down some trees, which are considered old or full of diseases, to make room for the new arrivals, but not near as many as 100.