Riksintresse
A riksintresse (national interest) is a geographic area that a state authority has designated as nationally important for a specific purpose, and which must therefore carry significant weight when a Swedish municipality plans land use. The system covers cultural heritage protection, nature conservation, outdoor recreation, total defence, communications and energy production, among other things.
The legal basis lies in chapters 3 and 4 of miljöbalken (the Environmental Code, 1998:808). The two chapters work differently. Under chapter 3, twelve named state authorities each designate, within their own field, the areas they consider to be of riksintresse. As long as no specific decision has been taken under one of the twelve acts that enforce the arrangement, the designation is only a claim (anspråk) that the municipality can contest. Under chapter 4, the riksdag itself has designated larger continuous areas along the coast, in the mountains and along river stretches as riksintresse, directly in the text of the act. These need no separate claim process, but the detailed boundaries can still be clarified in the municipality's oversiktsplan, in dialogue with länsstyrelsen (the county administrative board).
The arrangement was introduced at the same time as the then Plan- och bygglagen in 1987. When planning responsibility was decentralised to the municipalities and the mandatory state confirmation of municipal plans was removed, the state still kept the ability to safeguard matters of national importance, precisely through the riksintressen.
The riksintressen must be dealt with and accounted for in the municipality's oversiktsplan. Under Plan- och bygglagen chapter 5, section 14, länsstyrelsen must work actively during consultation to ensure that the riksintressen are safeguarded, and during the review under chapter 5, section 22, it must give an explicit warning if it considers that a draft plan does not safeguard a riksintresse. The municipality can also ask länsstyrelsen for a planeringsbesked (planning statement) in advance, to settle the question before a detaljplan is adopted. A positive planeringsbesked without conditions also binds länsstyrelsen itself: it cannot then use the same question later as grounds for review or annulment after the plan has been adopted.
Länsstyrelsen is the watchdog that can set aside an adopted detaljplan. Under chapter 11, section 10, länsstyrelsen must review the municipality's plan decision if it can be assumed that a riksintresse under chapter 3 or 4 of miljöbalken is not safeguarded, and it has three weeks to decide whether it will review the case. If the review concludes that the plan causes "påtaglig skada", that is significant harm, to the riksintresse, länsstyrelsen must annul the municipality's decision, normally within two months.
Norwegian comparison: the closest parallel is the combination of state planning guidelines and the right of objection (innsigelse) that a sector authority has under the Norwegian Planning and Building Act. The difference lies in the form. A Norwegian innsigelse is a case-by-case objection that an authority raises against one specific draft plan, resolved through mediation and ultimately by the ministry. A Swedish riksintresse, by contrast, is a mapped designation attached to an area. It applies regardless of whether anyone objects to the plan in question, and it triggers a fixed legal test, påtaglig skada, every time someone wants to change land use in the area. Coastal riksintressen for outdoor recreation and nature conservation often overlap with strandskydd, since both forms of protection cover the same coastal values.
From Placepoint's dictionary: Riksintresse
More information: Boverket: Vad är ett riksintresse?, Boverket: Riksintressen är nationellt betydelsefulla områden, Plan- och bygglagen chapter 11
English: An area designated of national interest under the Environmental Code, binding on municipal planning (Swedish-specific, broader than a Norwegian innsigelse).
Frequently asked questions
What is a riksintresse?
A riksintresse is a geographic area that a state authority has designated as nationally important for a specific purpose, with its legal basis in chapters 3 and 4 of miljöbalken. It must carry significant weight in the municipality's land use planning.
Which categories of riksintresse are there?
They include cultural heritage protection, nature conservation, outdoor recreation, total defence, communications and energy production. Twelve named state authorities each designate areas within their own field under chapter 3 of miljöbalken.
Where are the riksintressen for a municipality shown?
In the municipality's oversiktsplan, which, after dialogue with länsstyrelsen, must show how the municipality intends to safeguard the riksintressen in the area.
Can länsstyrelsen annul an adopted detaljplan?
Yes. If länsstyrelsen finds that the plan causes påtaglig skada to a riksintresse, it must annul the municipality's decision, normally within two months of the review being decided on.
What is the difference between a riksintresse and a Norwegian innsigelse?
A Norwegian innsigelse is a case-by-case objection to one specific draft plan. A Swedish riksintresse is a mapped designation of an area that applies regardless of whether anyone objects to the plan in question.
How do I find out whether a property is affected by a riksintresse?
The riksintressen appear in the municipality's oversiktsplan and in the national authorities' own maps. Placepoint collects this type of public planning information together with other property data.