Once harbour operations have been transferred east to Vuosaari, the downtown area used by Helsinki's West Harbour will be freed for building a pleasant seaside suburb in Jätkäsaari.

   

The new district will be the largest development project in the City of Helsinki over the next decade. In the new suburb, housing and commercial areas will be distinctly separated from green belt areas. According to the preliminary city plan, park areas will comprise a total of 19 hectares, more than 20% of the overall land-area under development.

   

To crown the whole, a 90-metre wide central park will stretch from the southern end of the cape to near the Ruoholahti canal. After some earth moving and soil preparation work, the highest spot in the area will be 12 m above sea level. Much of this land is already reclaimed from the sea.

The residential buildings in Jätkäsaari

will accommodate as many as 15,000 inhabitants. Typical of the Helsinki silhouette, the houses will be 5 to 7 storeys high. Apart from residential housing, there will also be business premises, with workplaces projected for around 6,000.

   

The Jätkäsaari project was presented to the citizens of Helsinki on Wednesday. According to the architects, the comments were mainly positive. However, some residents expressed their concern over increasing traffic jams in downtown Helsinki once the new suburb is ready. The public transport in the suburb will be based on two new tram lines, and the number of car parking places will be fewer than has been normal in similar projects.

   

A draft of the new city plan will be submitted to the City Planning Department on April 1. Provided that there are no delays, the massive construction work is planned to begin at the turn of the years 2008 and 2009.