The planning of Mäkkylänkuja has begun again – preliminary plans available to residents for commenting in November and December
The City of Espoo is seeking a solution for the area next to Ring Road I and Mäkkylän puistotie junction again. The purpose of the plan amendment is still to create residential blocks of flats, a grocery shop and a parking facility on the plot where a school and a day-care centre used to be. The previous plan was overruled by the Helsinki Administrative Court in June 2023.
The new preliminary plans for Mäkkylänkuja largely follow the previous plan: mostly wooden blocks of flats, a parking facility and a grocery shop. The preparation material has also been supplemented with options in which lower terraced or semi-detached houses are built close to the older detached houses instead of small apartment blocks. The amount of construction has remained roughly unchanged, but two small apartment blocks have been removed, and some trees have been preserved. A place for the school sports field located in the plan area is sought closer to the Postipuun koulu school.
The Mäkkylänkuja plan area is nested by Ring Road I. In the master plan, the plot is reserved for public services, but due to the current noise and air quality regulations, it is no longer suitable for this purpose.
The Helsinki Administrative Court overruled the previous plan two years ago. This was because the proposed use of the area differed from the master plan and the deviation had not been justified to a sufficient degree in connection with detailed planning. The Espoo master plan 2060 is currently under preparation, and housing is proposed as the new use of the area in the draft. The master plan proposal is expected to become available for public review in 2026.
The previous plan was also appealed on other grounds. Concerns have been raised especially about the impact of noise and air pollution on the quality, comfort and healthiness of the residential area, the insufficiency of previous traffic reports and the lack of public playgrounds in the area.
These issues will be addressed during the planning round that has now begun. Preventing noise and air pollution will be examined carefully, more trees and greenery will be preserved than before, the traffic solution will be refined and a location for a public playground will be determined.
“In this plan, residents are understandably worried about how housing can be planned in the area even though the school and day-care centre have had to be moved due to noise and air quality regulations. The regulation is based on the desire to protect children in particular. The limit is therefore stricter for the school and day-care centre than for housing. No new apartments will be built within the worst noise and particulate emission zone. The plan area is generally challenging, as is often the case with complementary building sites. Conflicts and challenges are understandable,” says Planner Johanna Nuotio.
Although the new planning process has been initiated on the basis of previous plans, the work will proceed normally through the preparation and proposal stages to approval processing. The preparation stage is currently under way.
The participation and assessment scheme and preparation material of the plan are available for public review on the Mäkkylänkuja plan website from 17 November to 16 December 2025. A Meet the City residents’ event will also be organised in the lobby of the Postipuun koulu school on 1 December 2025 between 17:00 and 19:00. For more information, read the event notification