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Press release 27.9.2024: The City of Helsinki takes full responsibility for the renovation of the valuable buildings owned by the City of Lapinlahti – Lapinlahti Community supports the project

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Kuvassa Lapinlahden alue ja rakennuksia syksyllä.

Press release 27.9.2024, free for publication immediately.

The City of Helsinki takes full responsibility for the renovation of the valuable buildings owned by the City of Lapinlahti – Lapinlahti community supports the project.

On Friday 27.9.2024, Helsinki’s Urban Environment Department announced that it will renovate the valuable buildings of the former Lapinlahti psychiatric hospital, which it owns, entirely as its own project (STT Info: Helsinki prepares to renovate Lapinlahti hospital). The city will remain the direct owner of the Lapinlahti area and its buildings at least during the renovation project and is not yet setting up its own real estate company for the area. However, as part of the planning and promotion of the redevelopment project, the city is planning appropriate ownership, management and operational solutions for Lapinlahti, in which the Lapinlahti community, representing the stakeholders and supporters of the area, is highly motivated to be involved. However, there are no further plans to privatise Lapinlahti.

The development plan for Lapinlahti is expected to go before the Helsinki City Council in spring 2025, in line with the city’s new two-stage decision-making procedure for real estate projects. At that time, at least preliminary scenarios for the ownership and operating models for Lapinlahti after the redevelopment will probably already be presented. The zoning of the Lapinlahti area will also need to be updated and future policies will need to be included in the plans. The city has promised to continue planning in close cooperation with the Lapinlahti community.

The Lapinlahti community is positive about these new plans by the City of Helsinki for the future of Lapinlahti. The community calls for a phasing of the renovations so that there is no interruption to the area’s impressive and diverse activities. In addition, Lapinlahti stakeholders are committed to working with the City to ensure that Lapinlahti continues to be nurtured as a centre for wellbeing, science, arts, culture and small business open to all. This should also be confirmed in the zoning plan.

A citizens’ initiative to safeguard and implement these values and principles and to continue Lapinlahti’s nearly 200 years of mental health work will be presented to the City of Helsinki on the eve of World Mental Health Day on 9 October 2024.

For more information, please contact:


Ville Pellinen
CEO, Lapinlahden Lähde Oy
Managing Director, Lapinlahti Lähde Oy (MIELI Finnish Mental Health Association’s subsidiary).
Vice-Chairman, Lapinlahti Foundation
+358 40 665 6605
[email protected]