The summer idyll is threatened – now protection against the sea is being built

Storm Babet caused damage worth millions in the historic holiday paradise. But the dike, which is now starting to be built to protect Falsterbonäset against floods, is being debated again.

The waves roll in towards Falsterbonäset, which with its white beaches, beach huts and golf clubs attracts millionaires, royalty and celebrities. Here are some of Sweden’s most expensive properties and the beach villas are sold with arguments such as “magical sea view” and proximity to “the rolling blue”.

But the sea is also the reason why Carina Wutzler (M), chairman of the municipal board in Vellinge, sits in a dump truck in Ljunghusen, wearing a blue construction helmet.

– It is a matter of fate, not only for Falsterbonäset but also for Vellinge municipality, she says.

– Who wants to buy a property or live in an area when you don’t know what the future looks like? Who wants to bet and invest in a company when you have an uncertain future ahead of you?

Two miles

When Wutzler then tips a load of clay, the official start is made for the construction of a 2.1-mile dike and wall that will protect the low-lying Näset and 5,000 homes against the water. The sea is not just a beautiful backdrop, high tides and climate change increase the risk of flooding. There are several examples of how the sea temporarily rose above 1.5 meters, most recently last year during the storm Babet.

– It is high water every year, more or less, says project manager Anders Purcell.

– But an increased sea level and more unstable weather will lead to more frequent high tides and, above all, they can become more extreme. That’s what we protect ourselves against.

Long way

The road here has been long with appeals in several instances. Private individuals who get a wall or rampart next to the plot have worried about increased visibility, obscured views and reduced market value, while the Skåne County Administrative Board has expressed views that it partly ends up in nature conservation areas.

Most of the embankment will have a viewing height of a maximum of 1.5 metres, but on shorter stretches it will be 2-3 metres.

– At first you saw the Berlin Wall in front of you, but it won’t really be that high, says a resident of Falsterbo.

The first part must be completed before the summer and the entire project by 2031.

Many TT meets welcome the dike, but have views on the design – such as the three golf clubs close to the sea who objected to them ending up just outside the protection.

“The top”

Pensioners Eva and Milos Visonj from Skanör have braved the wind to witness the start of construction in Ljunghusen.

– We think it’s great! I always want to live by the sea and it will be safer when they build this wall, says Eva Visonj.

– Let’s hope it helps, adds the husband.