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Controversial ‘Kallio Park’ Killed Off |
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By Business
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Tuesday, 27 October 2009 |
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The huge underground carpark planned for Oulu city centre will have to be completely abandoned, the council leader declared last night.
 Matti Pennanen (OUKA)
According to Pennanen, this is a crucial reason why the carpark has had to be dropped. Despite being discussed for the last decade, the cost has now risen to 60 million euros for a 900 space carpark with two ramps. The original estimate was 30 million euros for a 700 space carpark. Pennanen said that ‘politically’ it would be impossible to let the cost rise above 40 million euros.
The second problem, Pennanen told the council, was the failure of many of the businesses (beneath which the carpark would have been built) to give their permission to go ahead. Out of all the businesses in the Galleria-block, for example, only one responded positively by the deadline of 9 October.
In light of the collapse of Kallio Park, Pennanen told the council that the city would have to completely re-evaluate the ‘meaning’ and function of the city centre in business terms.
It seems that the many critics of Kallio Park have been proven correct. In an interview with 65DN last November a councillor told the newspaper, anonymously, that, ‘It could be as much as 60 to 90 million euros . . . It is a tradition in Finland that builders always estimate the cost to be about half of what it is and then come to you later asking for more. It'll be Oulu taxpayers who have to pick up the bill for this!'
The unpopularity of the proposal can be seen on the Kaleva website where readers have written posts such as ‘wise decision,’ ‘excellent, excellent, excellent’ and even ‘Yipee!’
One Oulu local, 31, and a student said: ‘Due to "rising costs" (surprise surprise) the plan was dumped. The plan was violently pushed forward by most political political parties. The whole thing stank too much of political lobbying.’
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