– Fantastic news for the whole municipality

– Posten Bring is a locomotive. This will create around 300 new jobs in the municipality, exults the daily manager of BUS, Alf Sognefest.

– Posten Bring is a large, socially critical player. This will probably mean around 350 jobs and thus great activity in the municipality, says Sognefest.

After long negotiations, it is now clear that Posten has entered into an agreement with Bjørnafjorden Utviklingsselskap (BUS) for the purchase of a 110-acre plot of land in Lyseparken. Here they will build a new, modern logistics terminal, which will become the center for Posten Bring in the Bergen area.

– This is an important day for us at BUS and for the whole of Bjørnafjorden municipality. Here we are talking about a very important signing, notes Sognefest.

In November last year, Os & Fusaposten wrote that Posten Bring was considering establishing itself in Lyseparken, but when it became clear that the zoning plan for construction in Kokstad was finally approved by the city council, things seemed to go wrong for BUS. It didn’t work out that way.

– Despite the fact that after 9.5 years of regulatory work at Kokstad, they are finally closing down, they still choose to establish themselves in Lyseparken. It’s a feather in the hat, says Sognefest, who thinks it says a lot about the qualities of Lyseparken.

The chairman of BUS, Dag Jarle Aksnes, says that they have put everything in place for a quick and efficient establishment after Posten Bring made contact last autumn.

Now it comes loose

Last week it became clear that the food industry entrepreneur Svalinn will buy between 30-45 acres to create a food park in Lyseparken. An agreement with Posten is now in place. The area they are going to buy is more than twice as large.

– There is a reason why it has been asked from us now. It is because I have a seat in negotiations like this. The negotiations with Posten have been tough, but good, and both parties are very satisfied with the balanced agreement that has been concluded, says Sognefest.

– We have come to know Posten Bring and the ownership organization there as very professional and competent. It has been a great pleasure for us to negotiate with them, asserts Sognefest.

– You talked about Svalinn as a locomotive last time. Surely this is at most also a locomotive?

– Yes, of course. This is a signal that things are now getting serious. Now the carts and customers can only follow, smiles Sognefest.

Very satisfied mayor

Mayor Terje Søviknes is of course very pleased with the large agreement.

– This shows how attractive Lyseparken is, says mayor of Bjørnafjorden municipality, Terje Søviknes (Frp), who praises both Posten Bring and BUS AS for a professional and efficient process leading up to the signing of the land purchase.

– Now we are looking forward to an equally fast and efficient construction process for the region’s largest logistics center with around 300 new jobs in Lyseparken, says Søviknes.

He adds that Bjørnafjorden municipality has a ‘clear political goal to facilitate residential and business development’.

– The signing of Posten Bring shows that we are on the right track, and that things are really getting better for Lyseparken, concludes Søviknes.

New Bergen terminal

Posten Bring confirms that they have decided to build a new logistics center for the Bergen region in Lyseparken. The facility is scheduled to be completed in autumn 2027. Thus, the plans at Kokstad are terminated.

– We are very happy that we have reached an agreement to establish a new and modern logistics center in Lyseparken. We now have the necessary foresight to establish a well-functioning and modern production facility. It ensures that we can fulfill our social mission in a good way and can deliver mail, parcels and goods to and from people and businesses in Bergen and the surrounding area, says Hans-Øyvind Ryen, executive director of Posten Bring.

Ryen points out that Posten Bring’s new logistics center for the Bergen region is now seven years overtime and constant postponements have made the process unmanageable.

– We have therefore been working with Lyseparken as an alternative to Kokstad for some time. In a holistic assessment, Lyseparken is considered to be less risky also going forward with regard to progress and completion, says Ryen.