There is already a good reserve of commercial plots ready for construction in different parts of Oulu. The supply of plots will expand further in the coming years.
Photo: Municipal infrastructure in itself is an investment in businesses from the City. It caters for all the basic needs of companies, from streets to sewers.
The land use of the City of Oulu is ready for rapid economic growth. City engineer Tapio Siikaluoma calculates that there are about a hundred commercial plots in the Oulu area for which a building permit can be applied for immediately. In addition, new areas are regularly identified based on demand.
According to the land use implementation programme approved by the City Council, zoning will continue following business life closely. The implementation programme defines the commercial plots to be transferred and their schedule. Then it will be the City's turn to hit the hoe to the ground and build municipal infrastructure on the site, containing virtually all the basic needs of the business. Building the infrastructure is always a significant investment for the City which aims at supporting business development.
“Water and sewers, district heating, roads, streets and cycleways are needed before a company can start its own building project. Planning them is a big job, so it needs to be done in time."
The right number of correctly located, available plots of land make companies' construction projects fast, as everything is ready before their own projects start.
"Once the municipal infrastructure is complete, the building permit is applied for in an electronic permit system, where the processing begins immediately."
From time to time, foresight is not enough, but the construction site is sought especially for a certain company. A recent example of this is a plot of 73,000 square metres with building rights for Nokia's new campus in Linnanmaa. As its zoning progresses, construction work on municipal infrastructure is progressing in other significant work areas.
To which areas in Oulu do companies now seem to be heading? Siikaluoma says that Rusko will continue being attractive. New municipal infrastructure has been built in the Ruskonniitty area in 2021, and the work will continue during the coming year.
"The Oulunportti area is big and therefore also a big investment for the city. As the zoning progresses, the construction of municipal infrastructure in the Nallikari area will also start, which is of great importance for both tourism entrepreneurs and new holiday resort construction in the area."
The land use implementation program has already been approved for 2020–2024, but it will be updated around the turn of the year. It will also define the outlines of the Ritaportti area between Herukka and Ritaharju.
"Next, the area will be subject to general planning, and after that there will be more detailed zoning work. There will be a significant number of workplaces in the Ritaportti area.”
Text: Juha-Pekka Honkanen
Photos: Juuso Haarala