The City of Helsinki has started the preparations for the construction of Stansvikinpolku trail in Kruunuvuorenranta, near Stansvik Manor. Stansvikinpolku trail is a new sand-covered route from Koirasaarentie to Stansvik manor park.
The construction of the Stansvikinpolku trail is being prepared by first cutting down some trees along the route. This work usually takes a few days and will be carried out during the winter when the weather allows.
The actual construction work will commence in spring 2025.
Frequently asked questions about Stansvikinpolku trail
What will the Stansvikinpolku trail be like, and where will it be constructed?
Spanning about 400 metres, Stansvikinpolku is a pedestrian and cycling route that will be built in the recreational Stansvik manor area. This area is in Kruunuvuorenranta, Laajasalo.
The trail will lead from Koirasaarentie to the vicinity of the manor. The northern part of the route will follow along the old, existing trail that is currently a forest path leading south from Koirasaarentie. The new trail will be a three-metre-wide path covered with sand.
Why will the Stansvikinpolku trail be constructed?
The goal for the Stansvikinpolku trail is to enable arranging the area’s recreational use in a sustainable way. The trail will offer pedestrians, cyclists and people with mobility challenges a safer route to the park.
Currently, the route to the park and the manor goes through the narrow, unlit Stansvikintie, which also has car traffic. People also come to the area through the forest, which leads to erosion of the terrain. The Stansvikinpolku trail has been designed to prevent the erosion of vegetation in areas outside the trail when the area’s recreational use increases.
The Stansvik recreational area will have a great deal more users in the future. Currently, Kruunuvuorenranta has about 6,000 residents. The number of residents is growing with about one thousand new people annually. Once Kruunuvuorenranta is completed, it will have an estimated 13,500 residents. The Crown Bridges Light Rail connection will be completed in 2027, bringing in even more visitors to the recreational area.
Why was the construction of the route suspended previously?
Originally, the construction of the Stansvikinpolku trail was planned to be started in 2021. At the time, the construction and renovation of two other trails, a parking area and Stansvikintie were also planned.
The City of Helsinki suspended the preparations of the construction work, as the local village association, Stansvikin kyläyhdistys, and the Helsingin luonnonsuojeluyhdistys nature conservation association submitted appeals on the construction plans. According to the appeals, the construction of the trails and a parking area would have been detrimental to the natural values of the area.
The appeals have since been dismissed by the Administrative Court, and the construction of the Stansvikinpolku trail can now be continued. The appeals were also dismissed for the other trails planned for the area, but it is currently uncertain if the City will continue to build them.
How will the construction of the Stansvikinpolku trail affect the trees?
Due to the construction of the trail, 38 trees will be cut down from its route. The trees will be cut during winter, when the ground is frozen, as this will minimise the detrimental effects of the work on the environment.
When planning the route of the trail, the focus has been on preserving as many of the trees as possible. The project has no effect e.g. on the old oaks that the manor area is known for.
Tree trunks will be left in the terrain to decompose, which will increase the number of suitable habitats of green shield-moss, for example. Green shield-moss grows in many areas around Laajasalo, and the construction of the trail will not affect this favourable situation.
Is there a grove of trees along the Stansvikinpolku trail?
About half of the Stansvikinpolku trail goes through a grove that has historically been an open area with manor fields, or a meadow prior to this. The City planted oak trees in the area in the turn of the 1960s and 1970s.
In December 2024, an association in the area requested the local Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment to review whether the area surrounding the Stansvikinpolku trail has a ’naturally grown hardwood forest’ referred to in the Nature Conservation Act. In line with the City, the Centre has stated that the grove in question was originally planted.
The construction of Stansvikinpolku is not estimated to have a major impact on the grove as a whole. Based on a nature study conducted in the area, it can be estimated that the small increase in the amount of light resulting from building the trail may even be beneficial to some endangered species. The old manor area has evolved into suitable habitats for species that do not thrive in thick copses of trees.
How will the construction affect animals?
After completion, the Stansvikinpolku trail will be illuminated; the lights will turn on when there is movement in the area. The lights will be turned off for the summer season so that they won’t disturb the bats living in the area. The new route is assessed to be non-detrimental to bats. The area’s birdlife and insects will also not be in danger due to the construction of the trail.
The nearby Tahvonlahti gloe pond is an important spawning ground for the moor frog, but Stansvikinpolku does not reach this area.
A survey was made on areas suitable for Siberian flying squirrels in Laajasalo last spring. Their droppings were not found in the Stansvik area. However, two Siberian flying squirrel sightings were reported in the area last year. It is therefore possible that Siberian flying squirrels can be found in Stansvik, but building the trail will not be detrimental to them.
Is the trail related to the construction of Stansvikinkallio?
Stansvikinpolku trail will be built in the manor and recreational area and is not linked to the construction of the residential housing in the nearby Stansvikinkallio local detailed plan area. Stansvikinpolku will be a useful trail regardless of how many apartments are built in the Stansvikinkallio area. In any case, Kruunuvuorenranta will become a populous neighbourhood that requires recreational areas with routes that have been planned and implemented well.
The surroundings of Stansvikinpolku and Stansvik Manor will remain a green area, comprising forests, parks, gardens, a summer villa area and other recreational service areas, such as garden allotments. The Tahvonlahdenniemi peninsula on the southern side of the manor is a nature reserve.
On which plans is the construction of Stansvikinpolku based?
The construction of Stansvikinpolku trail is based on a park plan approved in 2019. Several surveys and studies on local natural and cultural history have been conducted in connection to the planning.
The trail’s route was surveyed in the terrain in 2021. The route was adjusted slightly at the time to reduce the number of trees to be cut down that was defined in the original park plan.
Back in 2021, a new parking area as well as two other trails, called Thelninginpolku and Vanhakylänreitti, were also being planned for the Stansvik recreational area based on the park plan. For now, it is uncertain whether the plans will be put into motion.
Park plan (2019, pdf, in Finnish)(Link leads to external service)
Could the visitors be directed to another recreational area apart from Stansvik?
There is another green area other than Stansvik next to the centre of Kruunuvuorenranta: Kruunuvuori. However, of these two options, Stansvik offers the better opportunities for serving the outdoor enthusiasts in the area. The manor area already has many park routes to choose from as long as people can access them. The manor also has restaurant services.
The terrain of Kruunuvuori is more vulnerable to erosion, compared to Stansvik. To combat this, wood chip covered trails and boardwalks have been recently built in Kruunuvuori. The Kruunuvuori area’s terrain also makes it an unsuitable year-round recreational area for people with mobility challenges. Furthermore, the routes in Kruunuvuori cannot be illuminated as they are too narrow for this.
