Leppävaara region residents’ evening discussed the development of the neighbourhood and the centre of Leppävaara

The Urban Environment resident evenings are new kinds of trade fair-type events, including meeting points, regional information and free discussion with the planners and decision-makers. The points featured current plans for the Leppävaara area, providing the residents with the opportunity to discuss them directly with the planners.

There were also dedicated points for the City Planning Department’s permit and plot services and the Espoo Master Plan 2060. One of the most popular points, the “Streets, parks and city facilities” point, was showered with a multitude of questions. For example, the residents were interested in street construction, sewers, storm waters, rubbish bins and Alberganesplanadi park’s cherry trees.

During the event, Leppävaara area’s Project Director, Mika Rantala, briefed the participants on larger projects in the area. The ongoing Leppävaaranaukio plan amendment to the south of the track will expand the Sello shopping centre. There will be a new public transport terminal and a parking facility along the track. While Sello remains the key driving force in the area, the aim is to develop the area’s vitality in the future on both sides of the track and, for example, attract more brick-and-mortar businesses, something that the residents have wished for.

Vermo’s development and the future of the racetrack are still open. Vermo is a large area – as illustrated by the fact that you could fit the Olympic Stadium inside the racetrack.

The Leppävaara campus project planned to the north of the track includes facilities for 5,000 students in the Laurea campus area. The students can benefit from the adjacent sports park’s facilities, like the newly opened Kameleonten hall.

The plan proposal for the Leppävaara Manor near the centre of Leppävaara is currently available for public review, and there was a short briefing on the plan during the event. Besides protecting the main manor building, the aim is to preserve some old buildings of the manor as well as some buildings in the riding stables area. The plan also includes a low-rise housing block area. The residents were worried about the preservation of the large old trees and how future traffic arrangements would affect the tranquillity of the area, especially in the vicinity of the riding stables.

See also the brief info(external link, opens in a new window) (video) with Leppävaara’s Project Director Mika Rantala and Area Architect Tiina Piironen presenting current issues in the greater Leppävaara area’s urban planning.

Neighbourhood-related questions have always been among the most numerous in the resident events, and this event was no exception. The neighbourhoods discussed at the various points included, among others, Kilo, Lintuvaara, Perkka and Laaksolahti.

At the Viherlaakso point, the principles of Viherlaakso’s development were discussed repeatedly during the evening. The residents hoped for more services with the development of the centre. Many people lamented the moving of the library a little further and the closure of the health centre.

At the Laaksolahti point, the residents wished for the current building stock to be preserved and the area to remain a low-rise residential area. Though Laaksolahti is part of Greater Leppävaara, detailed planning-wise, it is actually part of Northern Espoo. Therefore, at the request of the residents, the event was also attended by Northern Espoo’s detailed planning engineer.

The development of the Kera area aroused quite a lot of interest, with questions ranging from the number of residents to the construction schedule and the demolition of the current Kera halls. The plan amendment will make the area more urban centre-like. The area is to have the City Rail Link. The construction will begin with the streets and move on to residential buildings.

The topics at the Master plan point varied quite a bit. Things like the preservation of green areas and visions for entire areas, such as Perkkaa, interested the residents. Also, the city was urged to address the urban runoff problems and water quality in Pitkäjärvi (Laaksolahti).

The Planning Manager of the master plan, Paula Kuusisto-Hjort, told the participants about the situation of the new master plan for the whole of Espoo. Espoo Master Plan 2060 is a city-wide land use plan indicating Espoo’s growth points and the location of various activities in the city to allow the controlled and sustainable development of the city. As it stands, Espoo has in force partial master plans from different periods and with varying accuracy.

On 13 March 2023, the City Board approved three master plan goals that are as follows: ‘A sustainably growing and densifying Espoo’, ‘Espoo is a climate-smart city of networks’, and ‘Espoo is pleasant and close to nature’. The draft plan being prepared will be made available for public review in 2024. The plan proposal will made available for public review in 2026, with the City Council to approve the plan in 2027. The residents have been involved in the preparation of the goals. With the draft plan available for public review in the spring of 2024, the city will again organise resident events.

The Tapiola region resident evening was the first of three resident evenings to be held this autumn on the topic of the urban environment. The next opportunity to learn more about the current plans and their planners will be the Central Espoo resident evening at the Entresse Library. Read more about the events:

15 November 2023: Central Espoo resident evening: Let’s talk about the urban environment

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