Bengt and Miranda Davidsson have for five years fought against the Building Board in Vänersborg to get the right to use what they consider to be their plot.
When they bought the house in 2017, they applied for, and received, an exemption to expand.
However, as the property is within a coastal protected area, they were also told that a site demarcation would be made, to clarify what was their home peace zone and where the public could move freely.
The result was a plot boundary that was drawn right next to the house, over the balcony with planning permission.
New circumstances
The fact that the municipality is now making a U-turn on the issue, according to the building board's newly appointed chairman Benny Jonasson (S), is due to the fact that many new circumstances have arisen during the five years that the process has been ongoing.
- Above all, it is about new testimonies about how the area was used historically and a bridge that the board believes strengthens the public's access to the area, he says.
He also points out that the decision that was previously made, in 2018, had been tried through the appeal and by the land and environmental court and was judged to be right based on the knowledge they had at the time.
The County Administrative Board is trying
The new decision gives the Davidssons the right to use most of the lawn below the house.
For the free passage of the public, an area is set aside that runs along the shoreline.
The county board's review of the decision is now pending.
- Then we'll see if the real champagne arrives, says Bengt Davidsson.