Minister may sell Reykjavík police station on Hverfisgata

Iceland’s next budget contains authorization to sell a wide range of state-owned properties, including the building housing the metropolitan police chief’s office at Hverfisgata 113-115 in Reykjavík. The government could buy or rent more suitable premises for the police operation.

The authorization extends to buildings used by district courts and the Landsréttur appellate court, as well as properties connected to schools, universities, health institutions, courts, police and district commissioner offices. In each case, the state may acquire or lease replacement premises where the budget allows it.

Other properties listed for possible sale include Reykjavík’s Customs House on Tryggvagata, state assets at Vífilsstaðir in Garðabær, and the state’s share in Hafnarstræti 99-101 in Akureyri, formerly used by the North Iceland Health Institution. The finance minister may also sell the University of Iceland’s experimental laboratory building at Keldnaholt.

The list includes properties used by ÁTVR, the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Iceland University of the Arts, the National Police Commissioner’s office and the government service center Umbra. Buildings used by the Westfjords police chief and Iceland Revenue may also be sold, along with state land and selected properties at Blikastaðaland, Reykjanes, Hólar and elsewhere.

The budget would additionally permit the sale of long-leased holiday-home plots, residential plots and other state-owned parcels to their tenants, as well as abandoned farms and building ruins suitable for reconstruction on leased land.