Debate, Fornebo | Yes to the church rooms and rooms opening to life views in the multi-purpose building

Opinions This is a discussion post. The publication expresses the opinions of the writer.

Snarøya Church does not have a universal design and is therefore difficult for wheelchair users to access. It has been called “listed” by the National Monuments Authority, meaning the church would be difficult to rebuild.

The Fornebu community therefore needs a world-class church space, and we can get that in the multi-purpose building. In this way, we can make it possible for people with different types of disabilities to use this church room and the rest of the building.

The fact that “the municipality shall build a multi-purpose building with a church room” is also stipulated in the Municipal Sub-Plan 3 (KDP3), and not a single decision in the Municipal Sub-Plan 3 can be revoked without the approval of the House of Representatives. At the same time allowing the cancellation of many other individual decisions in the municipal sub-plan, which is undesirable and perhaps also not possible.

The appeal against the church rooms in the multi-purpose building in Fornebu calls for the removal of the church room, and points out that the multi-purpose building must be ideologically neutral, in order to provide space for all religious communities.

This initiative does not come from religious sects. Even if our belief is different, we support each other and want the best for each other.

A celebration room open to life cannot be defined as a church room. This means that we need a church hall and an open auditorium in the multi-purpose building.

Both the church room and the celebration room open to life views are included in our civic platform from October 2023, according to the KrF proposal, something the leaders of the civic group are still agreeing on.

The municipality still has an obligation to build churches.

The municipality still has an obligation to build churches. The petition claims that the church needs 14 rooms in the multi-purpose building. What is in this and where does this number come from?

The most important thing for the church is the dedicated church room, which will have many possibilities for shared use: special church activities such as children's choirs, scout groups, children's singing and more can be conducted here, or in other rooms shared with several people.

The church room can also be used for concerts and as a meeting room for other Christian denominations.

When the church is able to contribute NOK 60 million, it is clear that the multi-purpose building will be larger than it would have been without the church room and therefore without these funds. This way, the church room will benefit all users.

User engagement with the multi-purpose building is still ongoing, and upon completion, the municipal council will receive a proposal on how best to meet the wants and needs of the Fornebu community.

Fortunately, Fornebulandet now has many places it can be used. Varmesentralen and several other buildings in Tårnkvartalet can be used as meeting/banquet halls and cultural scenes.

Oksenøya bruk and Hundsund may also become available when pupils there are transferred to the new Tårnet High School. Telenor Square is under development, and there are many vacant commercial buildings in the area.

All this means that there will be space for everyone who wants and needs it in Vornebolandet.

Bærum KrF emphasizes that a multi-purpose building with a church room and a banquet room open to a view of life will be a good thing for all residents of Fornebu, and expects that we will achieve this, in accordance with previous agreements and decisions.

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