Council upholds refusal of 15 flats at Elvesletta nord

Svalbard Utbygging AS now waits for the Governor of Svalbard (Sysselmesteren) to rule on its last block of family flats at Elvesletta nord. The developer's appeal failed on 4 November in the administration committee of Longyearbyen's local council (Longyearbyen lokalstyre), where every member followed the administration's advice, according to the council's meeting papers.

The flats are the fourth and last block planned at Elvesletta nord by Svalbard Utbygging AS, with family flats of 65 to 100 square metres. The area plan says the council must approve the number of homes in each building case. The administration refused the block on 15 September. It said 15 new homes would add to Longyearbyen's total housing, which does not fit the government's white paper on Svalbard. The council's housing count shows no room for new homes that do not replace homes removed or to be taken out of use, the case report says.

The count follows a statement from the Governor dated 15 December 2025. It expected the council to draw up a housing count for the building application. The count was to show that housing does not grow beyond the level before the avalanches of 2015 and 2017.

Svalbard Utbygging says in its appeal that the block follows the area plan and that the refusal has no legal basis. The housing count was never adopted through a plan process, the appeal says. The administration agrees that the count is not legally binding, but says it is the factual basis for the decision.