Construction in the coastal zone, 1985-2008

The figures are based on reports from the municipalities through the KOSTRA (municipalities to the state reporting), supplemented by calculations based on the national administrative register of buildings (GAB).

More building activity outside urban settlements

There has been a slightly increased construction activity outside of urban settlements each year since 2003. It is this activity that is central to the statistics on shore line influence. Urban settlements are already built-up, and continued building activity within urban settlements does hence not influence the coastal line further (according to the definitions employed).

Among all buildings with construction start outside urban settlements in 2006, dwellings and holiday homes dominate.

As of January 1st 2008 there was around 460 000 buildings within 100 meters from the shoreline (all islands included), this represents 12 per cent of all buildings in Norway. Most of the buildings are boat-houses or garages, while dwellings and holiday homes are the second and third most common building type in the shore zone.

Fewer dispensations granted

The municipalities received about the same number of dispensation applications in 2007 compared with the previous year. Around 767 dispensation applications were granted, in comparison with 808 in 2006. The number of dispensations granted in 2007 is the lowest since the statistics were established in 2001.

The decrease in granted dispensations implies that a somewhat lower proportion of the applications is granted by the municipalities. The dispensations comprised 64 per cent of all applications, while the corresponding figure for 2006 was 70 per cent. (See also Land use planning in municipalities and counties ).

Continued rise in building influence

In spite of a decrease in building activity in the shore zone, the building-influenced proportion of the shoreline has increased. This increase comes as a result of more shore zone building activity outside of urban settlements.

The building-influenced proportion of the shoreline is highest in the counties of Akershus, Oslo, Buskerud and Telemark, while the biggest increase has been in the counties of Telemark, Vest-Agder, Rogaland and Hordaland. During the period 1985 - 2008, the proportion of the shoreline being building-influenced increased by 1.7 percentage points for the country as a whole.

Highest pressure around the large cities

The highest proportion of shoreline less than 100 metres from buildings is within and around the large cities. The results are presented by centrality. That is, each municipality in Norway has been classified according to travel time to the closest urban settlement over a certain size. The central municipalities have more of the shoreline influenced by buildings than less central municipalities. 39 per cent of the shoreline in the central municipalities is less than 100 metres from a building, while the corresponding figure for the least central municipalities is 16 per cent. Also in the time period from 1985 to 2008, the building activity has been higher in more central municipalities compared to less central municipalities.

More developed in the mainland

A higher share of the shoreline was within 100 metres from buildings in the mainland, including islands connected to the mainland by bridge or tunnel, as compared to unconnected islands. 38 per cent of the mainland shoreline was influenced by buildings, while 12 per cent of the other islands’ shoreline was influenced by building activity. The development in the period 1985 - 2008 was also faster in the mainland (somewhat under 3 percentage points increase). Of the mainland shoreline in the counties from Østfold to Hordland, 54 per cent had buildings within 100 metres.

¹Report no. 26 (2006-2007) to the Storting.

Tables:

• Table 1 Applications for new buildings along the coastal zone outside urban areas. Number approved and rejected . 2001-2007
• Table 2 Building activity along the coastline by centrality. 2008, 1985-2008. Per cent and percentage points