HS Turku The 170-year-old main building of the medieval farm is to be demolished in Turku from the road of apartment buildings – “A stern application”

West coast the largest real estate company wants to demolish a historic building in Turku. ICT City Apartments, which is owned by the City of Turku, is planning to build two residential apartment buildings on a plot of land in the Kaerla district called Kirveen kylä.

The village of Kaerla has been inhabited since the Late Iron Age, and an entry from the land register in 1540 can be found in the main farm of Kirve. The old barn building was demolished in the 1990s.

The current owner of the plot, ICT-Asunnot, bought the plot two years ago. The main building of the plot is the only remaining main building in the village of Kaerla.

HS reported earlier in March about a similar old farm in Turku.

Read more: Juho Piipanoja was a “greedy rogue” who bragged about his money and pulled what he had – Now the medieval space that belonged to him is for sale at the price of a Helsinki city center apartment.

Turku the city’s building permit committee held a survey of the site on Tuesday. The demolition permit was already being considered at the last board meeting, but it was left on the table. Instead of a decision, the board conducted a review, to which the zoning board was also invited.

According to ICT Housing, the main building is no longer suitable for residential use. The company has commissioned investigations into the site, which show that the building has extensive microbial damage to the subfloor and the exterior and partition walls of the first floor. The building also contains large amounts of contaminants that affect the safety of housing, such as asbestos.

“Even with an extensive renovation, the building does not meet the requirements for housing health,” Development Manager Johannes Malmi ICT Housing says.

According to Malmi, ICT Asunnot is planning a plot of land for construction use. According to the company’s plan, two blocks of flats with up to 80 affordable rental apartments would be built on the site.

“The location of the plot is excellent, ie the services and transport connections are close by,” Malmi emphasizes.

Building and Permit Board will decide on the matter next Thursday. Chairman of the Board Riina Lumme (Greens) considers that a demolition permit should not be granted. The primary reason is related to the law.

The building applied for demolition has been marked as a protected site in the general plan for 2001. The city is preparing a new general plan in which the building will also have a conservation mark.

“According to the law, a permit cannot be granted if it prevents zoning from taking place,” says Lumme.

City is otherwise negative about his own real estate company’s plan. Both the Turku Museum Center and the city’s zoning department knocked down the demolition plan in their statements.

According to the Museum Center, the main building of the Kirve farm is an architecturally and culturally valuable object of the built environment. The characteristics of the building must be preserved.

Assistant Professor of Architectural History and Restoration Panu Savolainen Aalto University sent a statement to the city on Tuesday. He recommends the city reject the demolition permit application, which he called outrageous in his Facebook update.

“The main building of the Kirveen farm is exceptionally old, in many ways a unique and valuable part of the building heritage of the villages located in the current Turku Urban Area,” Savolainen emphasizes.

ICT Apartments questions the cultural heritage of the building in its follow-up statement. According to the statement, the main building is the only visible remnant of the alleged cultural heritage after other buildings and structures have been destroyed and in the past.

“The alleged pictorial value of the village has thus undeniably been lost much earlier,” the statement reads.

According to the chairman of the Building and Permit Board, the historical value of the building is undeniable.

“It’s definitely a major destination. I understand that ICT Housing needs a plot of land for its own needs, but the fact that the company has acquired a plot of land like this cannot be a reason to demolish a valuable building, ”says Riina Lumme.

Lumme hopes that ICT Apartments will find a suitable plot of land elsewhere for their needs.

“This plot of land with its buildings could be sold to someone who is ready to renovate it,” says Lumme.