Reed NewsReed News

Skellefteå kommun to demolish historic water tower after failed sale attempts

SocietySociety
Key Points
  • Skellefteå municipality has decided to demolish the historic water tower in Skelleftehamn after nearly three years of failed sales attempts.
  • The water tower was taken out of service in the 1970s and multiple conversion proposals were presented but rejected due to economic concerns.
  • Municipal officials say demolition is preferable to letting the structure decay, with the final decision pending approval by the municipal board.

Skellefteå municipality has decided to demolish the old water tower in Skelleftehamn after several years of unsuccessful attempts to sell the historic structure. According to SVT Västerbotten, politicians have made the decision following nearly three years of failed sales efforts.

Tomas Teglund (S), chairman of the committee for support and facilities, stated that the tower costs too much for anyone to take over. 'We must demolish it. We think it's a better alternative than letting it stand and decay,' Teglund said. The final decision will be made by the municipal board, with Teglund reporting that the committee was unanimous in its demolition recommendation.

We must demolish it. We think it's a better alternative than letting it stand and decay,

Tomas Teglund, chairman of the committee for support and facilities

The water tower, located on Kallholmen in Skelleftehamn, was taken out of service in the 1970s and has been owned by Skellefteå municipality. Real estate agent Stefan Lönnefjord reported presenting five different interested parties to the municipality, with proposals including converting the tower into apartments, cold bathhouses, and cultivation spaces.

However, according to municipal property manager Fredrik Nilsson, none of the interested parties presented a sufficiently sustainable economic plan for the tower. 'Unfortunately, it has always come down to the economic possibility of realizing a conversion of the water tower,' Nilsson said. The municipality claims it did not set a fixed price for the purchase, but no interested party met the municipality's requirements.

Unfortunately, it has always come down to the economic possibility of realizing a conversion of the water tower,

Fredrik Nilsson, municipal property manager

Transparency

How we verified this article

UnconfirmedBased on 1 sources
1 sources4 Involved