Olle Lindeblad from Borås is in a legal battle with the city over his right to mow his lawn, which is restricted due to shoreline protection laws. Despite losing previous cases, he seeks a new exemption to maintain his property.
Borås Resident Battles City Over Lawn Mowing Restrictions
Borås Resident Battles City Over Lawn Mowing Restrictions
Olle Lindeblad from Borås has been in a long-standing dispute with the municipality. The reason? He is not allowed to mow his lawn.
"This is so embarrassing," he says.
The narrow plot runs along Öresjö, and due to shoreline protection, which applies within 200 meters from the shoreline, Borås city has for several years insisted that part of the plot should revert to a natural area.
If Olle Lindeblad, 72, mows the grass there, it might deter the public from using the beach area and could also affect the living conditions of animal or plant species, according to the municipality.
"All land is owned by someone, and if you have a plot within a protected area, you have to be careful," says Thomas Lindström, the responsible building permit architect at Borås city.
Olle Lindeblad, who bought the plot in 2009, argues that the part of the plot is covered by the privacy zone and, by extension, ownership rights. He believes the fundamental issue is that the municipality has transformed his plot into an area for public use, although it is actually subdivided and intended for development.
"If you have a lawn you want to mow, what's the problem? I don't think many would accept people camping ten meters from your house," says Olle Lindeblad.
Seeking Exemption for Lawn Mowing
He has previously lost legal battles with the municipality and, among other things, had to move a patio with a grill from the same part of the land.
The ban on mowing the grass from 2022, with a penalty of 25,000 kronor, has been appealed by him, but the municipality prevailed. Now he wants the matter to be reconsidered and has applied for an exemption from the shoreline protection.
"I have all respect for the right of public access, but it's the legal application I find hard to see when it comes to entering private gardens. I must exhaust all possibilities to limit my damage and get compensation," says Olle Lindeblad.
Now the community building committee in Borås will review the application. They need to go through documentation and previous assessments of the land since the shoreline protection began in 1975.
"We look at the whole picture and see if there are any conditions to grant an exemption," says Thomas Lindström.