The Þingvellir National Park has rejected a request by an American couple to purchase a summer cottage in the park. The local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports that the American couple had intended to purchase the cottage from Icelandic friends.
The cottage is in the land of Kárastaðir farm, which is located inside the national park. All land in the National park is owned by the Icelandic state, while structures may be privately owned. The primary reason the request was denied are restrictions on the ownership of land by people from outside the European Economic Area.
Sigrún Magnúsdóttir, the minister of the Environment, and the chair of the Thingvellir Commission, which manages the National Park, told Morgunblaðið that the long term objective of the National Park is to reduce the number of summer cottages within the National Park proper. Furthermore, the commission has adopted a policy of only allowing people to transfer cottages to relatives or passing them on through inheritance.
A large number of summer cottages are located outside the boundaries of the national park, along the shores of Þingvallavatn lake.
The Þingvellir National Park has rejected a request by an American couple to purchase a summer cottage in the park. The local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports that the American couple had intended to purchase the cottage from Icelandic friends.
The cottage is in the land of Kárastaðir farm, which is located inside the national park. All land in the National park is owned by the Icelandic state, while structures may be privately owned. The primary reason the request was denied are restrictions on the ownership of land by people from outside the European Economic Area.
Sigrún Magnúsdóttir, the minister of the Environment, and the chair of the Thingvellir Commission, which manages the National Park, told Morgunblaðið that the long term objective of the National Park is to reduce the number of summer cottages within the National Park proper. Furthermore, the commission has adopted a policy of only allowing people to transfer cottages to relatives or passing them on through inheritance.
A large number of summer cottages are located outside the boundaries of the national park, along the shores of Þingvallavatn lake.
