New mental health facility for Landspítali Hospital to be built in Fossvogur
Reykjavík's Environment & Planning Council has approved an application from Nýr Landspítali ohf. (New Landspítali Hospital) (NLSH) to start developing a land-use plan in Fossvogur for future mental health facilities for Landspítali Hospital. The planning description for the project was approved at yesterday's council meeting.
New Landspítali Hospital will soon start working on the land-use plan with Reykjavík City and stakeholders. The revised land-use plan proposal should be ready early next year and will then go through the standard presentation and review process required by the Planning Act.
The decision to build new mental health facilities outside Landspítali Hospital's Hringbraut site is based on detailed analysis of options and follows the steering group's recommendations for planning construction at New Landspítali Hospital. NLSH is now conducting a preliminary assessment under Act No. 84/2001 on the organization of public construction, which will determine the building's size based on service needs. The building is planned as one to two stories with open courtyards. This design is tailored for recovery-focused design of a specialized psychiatric hospital that prioritizes the highest quality conditions and experiences for staff, patients and their visitors.
Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir says building a new mental health facility near the current Landspítali Hospital in Fossvogur is very important to Reykjavík City. "This ensures better access and coordination with the health services already in the area. We all know that mental health is a major part of people's overall health, and Reykjavík should be a city that supports people at every stage of life — in joy and hardship, in strength and vulnerability. Building a new mental health facility in Fossvogur is a clear example of that vision."
"This is major and welcome news because it's hard to imagine a better location and environment for building mental health facilities that meet modern requirements for recovery-focused design," says Health Minister Alma D. Möller.
Runólfur Pálsson, CEO of Landspítali Hospital: "Choosing the location for Landspítali Hospital's future mental health facilities is an extremely important milestone. Current mental health facilities don't meet the standards that modern psychiatric services require for treating individuals struggling with severe mental disorders. This takes a major step toward ensuring a recovery-focused approach to services for people with mental disorders in a modern and humane environment. This is an important milestone for Landspítali Hospital and society as a whole.“
Assuming the land-use plan and preliminary assessment receive approval and construction moves forward, the estimated timeline for design and construction is about five years. If all goes well, the new facility could be completed by 2031, pending parliamentary funding approval.