Tampere Council Approves Zoning to Shield Iidesjärvi Shoreline, Keeps 1.5 Hectares for Recreation

Tampere city council approved the zoning plan for Iidesjärvi Park on 24 August 2026. The decision follows the community committee's June approval of a partial plan that protected most of the site while reserving around 1.5 hectares for limited recreational use the community committee's June decision.

Launched in autumn 2020, the plan designates parts of the lake and shoreline as a nature reserve while carving out roughly 1.5 hectares of small activity areas within the about 20-hectare site. Near the Nekalantie depot, proposed features include a nature-themed playground, an outdoor gym, picnic and campfire sites, limited parking and a birdwatching tower by the existing mat-washing spot. Allotment gardening and mat-washing opportunities will be retained. Paths will be defined to reduce erosion. The shore-to-trail zone will be kept largely in its natural state, and ecological restoration measures and invasive-species control will guide green-area works.

Citizen feedback prompted several changes. Planners dropped a proposed dog park and scaled back plans to alter an old landfill to protect trees and the shoreline after assessments found no health risk in current use. "The Iidesjärvi plan is about much more than placing individual functions. We have reconciled protection of valuable natural areas, restoration, recreation, children's services and long-term development of Nekala. The result is a compromise that has changed during the process also based on feedback received," said deputy mayor Ilkka Porttikivi. The final plan includes lighting limits to protect bats, and cycling will be restricted in the most sensitive sections.