Nordkapp kommune vant over hotellkjeden Scandic - Nordkapp, Norway - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

Now it will be free to park at the North Cape plateau. Nordkapp municipality won over the hotel chain Scandic, which has charged a parking fee when visiting the nature area The Nordkap plateau.

This could be read in the newspaper NRK.NO on 9 July 2021.
The article has been translated into English with Google Translate.


Nordkapp municipality won over the hotel chain Scandic.
Vestre Finnmark District Court has spoken; Nordkapp municipality is acquitted, and is thus upheld in that Scandic will not be allowed to charge parking fees from tourists. This is the verdict after a long conflict between the hotel chain and the municipality.

- This is a victory for the right of public access and access to Norwegian nature. This is an important verdict for everyone who wants unique nature experiences in Norway, the municipality writes in a press release.

After a long conflict over the right to the North Cape Plateau, the hotel chain Scandic chose to sue the North Cape municipality.

And after eleven days in court, Vestre Finnmark District Court has now ruled: Nordkapp municipality is acquitted, and thus upheld that Scandic will not be allowed to charge parking fees from tourists.

Scandic Hotels AS must pay the municipality's legal costs of NOK 1,620,458. District director of Scandic, Knut Sigurd Pettersen, says the company is disappointed with the verdict.

- Now we will study the verdict carefully, then we will in the period up to September consider an appeal to the Court of Appeal, he says.

The reason why the parties ended up in court is that Nordkapp municipality in December 2020 decided in the municipal council that Scandic had to stop the collection of parking fees on the North Cape Plateau. Something the hotel chain thought was an invalid decision.

The fee gives the hotel chain NOK 350 per motorhome and NOK 200 per car parked on the plateau.

One who is very happy with the result of the verdict is the municipal director of Nordkapp, Stig Aspås Kjærvik:
- We have felt reasonably sure of the outcome, because the case has previously been thoroughly assessed by, among others, the state administrator and the civil ombudsman. And that we should interpret the Outdoor Activities Act so incorrectly, we had a hard time understanding.

- Actually, this is an attack on the Outdoor Activities Act, and in that sense it is wrong that it is Nordkapp municipality that is a party to this - it should have been the state, Kjærvik says.

One who agrees that this lawsuit is larger than just one single municipality, is the mayor of Nordkapp, Jan Olsen:

- It is not easy for a small municipality to take responsibility for the right of public access and the Outdoor Activities Act alone. It has required some resources.

The conflict has gradually also led to steep fronts among people and neighbors in the North Cape. The dispute over one of Norway's most famous nature attractions has divided the municipality.

In the end, it went so far that a torchlight procession was arranged for a warmer society in September 2020.

Mayor Jan Olsen tells NRK that he hopes the verdict can help things calm down in the local community:

- Now we have the court's decision, the county governor's decision, the directorate's statements and the ministry's interpretations - all in the same direction. I hope that it is possible to accept that what we have done is right.

Type of publication: Internet Only When was the article reported?: 07/06/2021 Publication: NRK Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: regional News Category: Arts/Culture

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