On 1 january 1999 Sweden imposed new and, in many ways, stricter environmental legislation through the Environmental Code. This is an umbrella legislation that comprises many old and new laws, including the old Water Act.
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| The environmental application filled the trunk of a car when it was completed in 2002. Here, janitor Peter Edenhäll and environment controller Björn Gillberg makes sure all the papers are in order. |
The Citytunnel Project has been examined against the Environmental Code, the Railway Construction Act and the Planning and Building Act.
The Citytunnel's application to the Environmental Court in Växjö was submitted on 1 march 2002.
The application consists of both compulsory studies of lowering the water table and building in water, and voluntary studies of activities harmful to the environment.
The purpose of the voluntary studies was to reduce the impact of the project on the environment.
The Citytunnel is one of the first major infrastructure projects that has been considered from an environmental viewpoint in this way.
Three chapters in the Environmental Code are especially significant for the Citytunnel Project.
Chapter 9 deals with activities harmful to the environment, in this case the construction and operation of the Citytunnel, and the consequences of the project, such as noise, vibrations and discharges to air and water.
Chapter 11 involves compulsory application for anyone building in water or using groundwater. The lowering of the water table, construction of a new bridge over the Suell canal, construction of dykes, cables in canals, and the construction of sluice under Slottsbron must be examined in accordance with this chapter.
Chapter 17 regulates government approval of the project
Hearings in 2003, 2004 and 2005
I june 2003 the Swedish government gave its approval for the project after deciding the construction is permissable according to the Environmental Code and the Railway Construction Act.
The decision of permissibility marked the start of the Environmental Court's examination of the project. Hearings, where the court finalised the detailed conditions for the construction that the government has approved, began in the autumn of 2003. The hearings continued throughout the better part of the following year. The Environmental Court's verdict was delivered in december 2004.
The construction started in March 2005 after the Swedish government had finalised the railway plans, which describe the projects plans and property needs in detail, and all of the permits had been granted.