Seljalandsfoss is one of the main tourist attractions in South Iceland.
mbl.is/Sigurður Bogi Sævarsson
Landowners at Ytra-Seljalandi, near the famous Seljalandsfoss waterfall in South Iceland, have requested a change to the area’s zoning plan to allow for the construction of nine summer houses.
The proposed cabins would be built on the heath east of the waterfall, as seen from the Ring Road. The request for a zoning change is currently under consideration by the municipality of Rangárþing eystra.
According to the landowners, the summer houses would be tucked into the hillside, several hundred meters away from Seljalandsfoss and hidden from view.
Up to 230 square meters each
The land is jointly owned by ten parties, and the request would allow for the construction of houses up to 230 square meters in size, facing south on the hillside.
The Seljalandi area consists of four farms. Two of them, Seljalandssel and Eystra-Seljaland, are primarily owned by Skúli Gunnar Sigfússon—often associated with the Subway restaurant chain—while the Seljaland farm belongs to Kristján Ólafsson and his family.
Together, these landowners share property rights near Seljalandsfoss with the municipality of Rangárþing eystra, which owns Hamragarðar farm, located to the west of the waterfall.
The planned summer houses would be separate from the main tourist area but, if approved, would be the closest private buildings to Seljalandsfoss among the properties belonging to the Seljalandi farms.
Hidden from view
Hálfdan Ómar Hálfdanarson, one of the co-owners of Ytra-Seljalandi, says the project is strictly for private use.
“These are just summer houses for the landowners. The idea is to position them so they won’t be visible from Seljalandsfoss,” he explains.
He adds that the houses are also designed to be out of sight from the Ring Road:
“The uppermost house would be about 600–800 meters from the waterfall, but even if you’re standing on the Ring Road looking west toward the waterfall, you won’t see them.”
Respecting historical sites
The hillside once hosted a small farmstead, and remnants of the old settlement remain. Because of this, certain areas are off-limits for construction.
Archaeological remains have been mapped, and the proposed building area is well outside those zones. In its review, the Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland noted that the planned development had been carefully tailored to avoid these protected areas.
“The heritage officer sees no reason to oppose construction within the planned zone, and it would be difficult to justify further mitigation measures beyond documenting the remains and designing plots around them,” the agency stated.
Utilities already installed
Although the zoning request is still under review, infrastructure has already been installed on the hillside, including an electric utility box and fiber optic cable.
According to Rarik, Iceland’s main power company, anyone can pay to have a connection point installed, and the presence of such equipment is independent of the zoning decision.
An electric line was first laid up the hillside in 1991.