Magistraten (Municipal Executive) recommends incorporating SF's housing proposal into Plan Strategy 2027

On Wednesday 7 October 2026, Aarhus City Council will consider SF's proposal to create more housing by transforming existing buildings rather than primarily building new ones. Magistraten recommends that Byrådet (City Council) endorse Teknik og Miljø-udvalget (Technical and Environmental Committee)'s recommendation to take the proposal's intentions into Plan Strategy 2027 – without the extensive building-level mapping SF has requested.

What does it mean for you

If Byrådet follows the recommendation, the question of transforming the building stock will become part of the Plan Strategy work in 2027 instead of starting with building-level mapping now. That may affect how Aarhus finds room for more housing as the city grows, and whether lokalplan (local development plan) processes should give transformation projects greater priority.

Background

SF proposes a shift in how population growth is handled: to a greater extent use and transform the existing building stock to reduce resource use, CO₂ emissions, and the need to take new land. The proposal was submitted by Mette Bjerre, Thomas Medom, Anne Hammer, and Liv Gro Jensen.

The first step is for the municipal executive department for Technical and Environmental Affairs to map transformation potential – including among other things empty or underused commercial and industrial buildings, surplus public buildings, and unoccupied or temporarily empty homes – and estimate housing potential. The second step is an analysis of how lokalplaner can give transformation projects planning priority, more flexible requirements, and incentives for owners. The aim includes a concrete, quantifiable target for the share of new homes delivered through transformation and changes to lokalplan procedures.

The department calls building-level mapping extensive and resource-intensive and assesses that it only provides a snapshot with limited durable knowledge, because realisation depends among other things on owners' decisions and market conditions. The administration instead recommends including the intentions in the Plan Strategy and does not consider that Aarhus Ejendomme, in the current operational situation, should be assigned more administrative tasks of this kind. The recommendation reads: «In connection with the Plan Strategy coming before Byrådet for consideration in 2027, the proposal's intentions to make greater use of and transform the existing building stock in Aarhus Municipality will be included.» (translated from Danish) (Agenda — Response to SF proposal on room for more within the planet's limits)

Byrådet postponed the matter on 12 November 2025 and on 3 December 2025 referred it to the municipal executive department for Technical and Environmental Affairs. Liv Gro Jensen (SF) asked at the time for the matter to go directly to Magistraten with an opportunity for debate when it returned. On 29 September 2026 Magistraten recommended that Byrådet endorse the recommendation of 16 September 2026. The recommendation did not reach the borgmester (mayor)'s Department in time within the three-month deadline after Byrådet's consideration of the motion.

Figures and facts

• Aarhus Municipality is expected to have more than 400,000 residents in 2035 (Appendix — Recommendation)
• 30,000 more jobs have been added over the past 20 years (Appendix — Recommendation)
• The Plan Strategy is expected to come before Byrådet for consideration in 2027 (Appendix — Recommendation)
• The SF proposal is dated 27 October 2025 (Appendix — Appendix 1: Motion SF 27.10.2025)
• The recommendation from Teknik og Miljø-udvalget is dated 16 September 2026 (Appendix — Recommendation)
• Magistraten considered the matter on 29 September 2026; Byrådet considers it on Wednesday 7 October 2026 (Agenda — Response to SF proposal on room for more within the planet's limits)

Who said what

SF wants both mapping and lokalplan analysis as the basis for concrete targets and revised lokalplan procedures. Socialistisk Folkeparti and Enhedslisten stand by the original proposal in Magistraten, while Magistraten recommends that Byrådet endorse Teknik og Miljø-udvalget's recommendation.

The municipal executive department for Technical and Environmental Affairs agrees that many buildings hold significant transformation potential and points to examples such as Amtssygehuset, the old municipal hospital in cooperation with FEAS, Sydhavnen, and interest from private developers at Prismet. The administration also assesses that transformation can supplement necessary expansion needs but cannot stand alone if the municipality is to retain and attract among others families with children and avoid sharp rises in housing prices. The administration also does not see vacancy in commercial areas.

Rådmand (alderman) for the municipal executive department for Culture and Citizen Service, Jesper Kjeldsen, and rådmand for the municipal executive department for Health and Care, Metin Lindved Aydin, did not take part in Magistraten's consideration.

What happens next

On Wednesday 7 October 2026, Byrådet must decide whether to endorse the recommendation. If it does, the proposal's intentions will be part of the work on Plan Strategy 2027. If Byrådet instead follows the line of SF and Enhedslisten, the more extensive mapping and lokalplan analysis may return to the table.

Sources

• Agenda — Response to SF proposal on room for more within the planet's limits
• Appendix — Recommendation
• Appendix — Appendix 1: Motion SF 27.10.2025
• Aarhus Municipality meeting documents — meeting
• Aarhus Kommune

Other appendices

• Appendix — City Council debate 03.12.2025