In total, Ellinor Isaksson Larsson, Planning and Development Manager in the municipality of Boden, summarizes that the planning decisions, consultations, reviews and approvals, which are in various stages in the municipality of Boden right now, enable 1322 new apartments and 591 villas. The role of the municipality is to enable the actors who want to build.
Boden is currently in the midst of a dramatic social transition, driven by major establishments and expansions in both industry and defense. A prerequisite for the entire social transition equation is to get more municipal residents and thus taxpayers. For that, more housing is needed.
Top in Sweden for building permits
Boden has plenty of completed detailed plans in attractive locations and the municipality is ranked as one of Sweden’s best at managing building permit processes.
“We have good planning preparedness and are working for even better,” says Ellinor Isaksson Larsson, Head of Planning and Development in Boden Municipality.
In addition to the 1,322 new apartments and 591 villas that are in various stages of the process right now, there are already legally binding plans and land allocations for those who invest in housing in the municipality of Boden.
Boden municipality also offers plots in several attractive locations in the municipality.
Welcoming more
The municipal housing company Bodenbo is a driving force in the property owner network and has built several new apartment buildings in a short time.
“Boden is facing historic growth, and we at Bodenbo are doing what we can to meet future needs. Through both new construction and renovation, we are creating attractive and sustainable housing for the people of Boden today and tomorrow. We want to be a player that paves the way for sustainable construction and ensures that there is housing for everyone. Our 146 new apartments are a positive addition, but more are needed – and we hope that more players will open their eyes to Boden as a housing market,” says Johan Johansson, CEO of Bodenbo.
Building locally as Boden grows
One example of a local construction contractor growing with Boden is MBT Nord. In recent years, the small local company has almost doubled its workforce.
“It’s great fun what’s happening here in Boden now. We want to do what we can to do our bit. In addition to creating housing, we collaborate with the construction program at the high school and receive APL students regularly every four weeks. We also have good cooperation with the other property owners and our local architects at A och D arkitektkontor, who we also build for,” says Klas Rendahl, who runs MBT together with his brother Per Hansson.
Their first two apartment buildings were completed last year and quickly filled. Their third, which is already fully booked, will open shortly. So far, they have built one apartment building per year, a pace they feel is appropriate for both economy and quality.
“We have a queue for our properties and have never even had to advertise. There are more expressions of interest every week and the tenants we have are happy and want to stay. This motivates us to continue,” explains Klas.
MBT Nord also has a land allocation agreement on the plot next to its first three buildings, and the plan is to build three similar properties there as well, with a further 45 apartments.
Sustainable housing market
His colleague Dennis Wikstén, CEO of Wikstén’s Properties, the largest private property owner in Boden, reinforces the importance of cooperation and working towards the same goals in Boden.
“We can clearly see that the pressure is increasing. We have a real estate owners’ network as a natural platform for landing issues that affect us all, and working together on urban development,” says Dennis.
To promote a long-term sustainable housing market, Wiksténs has chosen, among other things, to focus on permanent rentals to private individuals, not block rentals to companies. The real estate owner network also encourages all members to follow this.
Instead, as many as possible of the temporary construction workers in Boden during the steel plant’s construction are directed to temporary contractor housing that Stegra is responsible for based on clear requirements from Boden municipality.
Photo: Bodens kommun/KOMM and Mats Engfors, Fotographic
