Uppsala municipality has denied a beach protection dispensation at Siggefora camping. This means that around 20 people who live permanently at the campsite may be forced to demolish their homes and eventually become homeless.
Bengt Rudin is one of them.
He has lived at Siggefora camping for just over five years. In December last year, he operated on a defibrillator and thereby lost his job as a bus driver. Now he risks losing his “paradise”.
– I can’t see any future. I hope for a job so that I have an opportunity to find somewhere else to live if this decision goes through, he says.
Concern among residents in Siggefora
Several that SVT meets at the campsite say they are disappointed.
– You are a little worried about the future of the campsite. If too many accommodations disappear, I’m afraid that you won’t be able to continue running the campsite, says Lars-Åke Eriksson, who lives here during the summer months.
Others that SVT talks to do not want to be part of an interview, but state that they have canceled their campsites. Several are in place and dismantling their awnings and patios.
– It is very sad, especially for those who live here who are not so well off financially, says a person who wishes to remain anonymous.
The conflict with Uppsala Municipality
Camping has been conducted at Siggeforasjön since the 1970s. The beach protection conflict began in 2020 after a complaint that permanent housing had been built in the area – something that thus violates the beach protection.
The Environmental and Health Protection Board’s decision can be appealed to the county administrative board. If the decision then gains legal force, the approximately 20 people who live at the campsite will be permanently forced to move within a month.
In the clip above: Join Bengt Rudin’s year-round caravan, which is now breaking the rules.