170-YEAR-OLD The prison in Greenland in Oslo was opened in 1851. Now Statsbygg is looking for land for a new prison.

After receiving 50 new proposals, Statsbygg is now considering five plots as alternatives to Bredtveit as a new Oslo prison.

Statsbygg is working on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness to find suitable plots for a new Oslo prison. A new prison will replace the current prison in Greenland and secure places of custody and imprisonment for Oslo. The technical condition of the current prison is critical, and it is urgent to find a new plot.

Statsbygg searched for plots in the summer of 2021 and received 50 plot proposals from municipalities and private individuals. These, and plots from previous plot searches, are assessed according to suitability, risk and cost.

In particular, distance and driving time to Oslo city center has been decisive for the ranking of the plots because there is a lot of transport of prisoners to and from Oslo prison. Following an overall evaluation, Statsbygg has now assessed five plots as possible alternatives to Bredtveit.

The plots being assessed are in unranked order:

• Haugenstua, Oslo (Gnr / bnr: 104/3)
• Mastemyr, Nordre Follo (Gnr / bnr 239/141)
• Heggedal, Asker (Gnr / bnr 70/35)
• Solvang, Lier (Gnr / bnr 161/26)
• Kroksrud, Ullensaker (Gnr / bnr 27/3)
• Bredtveit, Oslo (Gnr / bnr 91/1)

Statsbygg recommendations will be given to the ministry before Christmas. A decision on the plot is expected to be made in 2022.