Land acquisition and expropriation performed decentralized: Experiences in Norwegian municipalities

Authors

• Håvard Steinsholt

Keywords:

Expropriation, acquisition, municipality, organization

Abstract

Public land acquisition may be executed with assistance of centralized authorities: geographically, organizationally or by dedicated professionals with standardized skills and methods. Norwegian law makes the multifunctional municipality the central body for land use decisions and execution of those through land acquisition, but there are hardly any specific legal or traditional standards about how this function should be performed and by whom within the municipal organization. This paper reports aspects of land acquisition in Norway based on questionnaires answered by employees of 21 municipalities. The questionnaire was designed to discuss the degree of professionalism within the Norwegian setup. With considerable refinement such tests could be done elsewhere. Municipalities show large differences in how acquisition activities are organized. Very few have dedicated experts or departments. There hardly exist any networks between municipalities on these matters. Educational backgrounds among employees involved are highly diverse, and few have special training. Persons of local knowledge, experience and personal integrity are preferred as negotiators. In most municipalities land acquisition occurs as an ad hoc managed problem within the frames of a construction project. Few municipal acquisitions are executed by expropriation, which in Norway is a court process, politically controversial and with high costs involved. In some cases municipalities achieve agreements by over-prizing, with land exchange or by offering goods or services. There are even examples of getting land in exchange for individual changes in planning regulations, building permits or other privileges. Some more or less severe examples of municipal informal occupation of land are reported.