"This was supposed to be a happy project"
Haraldur Þorleifsson recently opened a restaurant in Tryggvagata, Anna Jóna, which he named after his late mother. mbl.is/Ásdís
Haraldur Þorleifsson, the entrepreneur and activist, and his wife Margrét Rut Eddadóttir, have abandoned their plans to build an artists’ center in Kjalarnes.
“We were planning to build an artists’ residence and other things in this beautiful piece of land. We were really excited about building a place for artists there. Unfortunately, we were not granted the proper permits and I’m sorry to tell you that these plans have been put on the shelf indefinitely,” Þorleifsson writes on Twitter.
Galleries and studios were also planned in the area.
“We have put significant amounts of energy, time and money into developing this project, designing the buildings and working with lawyers and authorities to get the permits, but nothing seemed to get the case moving forward. It was supposed to be a joyous project, but after two years it was just draining us of our energy, ” he added.
“It’s hard to get new ideas to materialize. It was supposed to be a gift to the community, and that’s why I hoped it would get a good response. I’m not blaming anyone. I think everyone involved has done what they thought was best. But I hate to miss it,” Þorleifsson writes at the same time.
