Tampere plans to close Sorsapuisto aviary and trim city light weeks to save €800,000

The Tampere Urban Environment Committee has proposed closing the Sorsapuisto bird aviary and scaling back the city's annual light weeks as part of measures to find about €800,000 in savings for next year's budget, Yle reports.

The cuts are part of a wider effort as Tampere aims to balance its finances by 2029. The city initially sought €6.4 million in new savings for next year, and in August Mayor Ilmari Nurminen's (Social Democrats) leadership group asked service areas to identify a further €3.2 million.

The committee singled out high-investment, high-running-cost events such as the Hämeenkatu lights, noting the aviary is not a statutory municipal service.

The move echoes an earlier councillor call this year to close the almost 90-year-old Sorsapuisto bird enclosures on animal welfare grounds a June proposal. It also follows recent work to tighten spending after approving a large net investment plan for 2027 in September.

Officials also propose raising parking fees, seeking an extra €400,000 on top of an already planned €400,000. That could mean higher parking rates and a re-evaluation of paid parking zones. The committee recommends further reductions in purchased services, higher environmental monitoring fees and savings from smaller procurements. The proposals will feed into the mayor's budget on October 19. The city council will make the final decision in November.