VANTAA EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CARE

The project concerns the provision of new and the renovation of existing schools and social care facilities as well as improvements to social/cultural facilities in Vantaa. It is part of the City of Vantaa’s Urban Development Plan 2000-2020 and comprises three components. The human capital component includes the construction and rehabilitation of child day-care centres, elementary schools, and secondary schools. The social inclusion component aims at improving and/or expanding services for groups of society at risk of exclusion, such as elderly people and abused families. Thirdly, the leisure component is directed at improving the well-being of Vantaa’s citizens and includes the construction and rehabilitation of sports centres, city parks, youth centres and some municipal cultural centres and museums.

All the schemes included in the Project are selected components of the City of Vantaa’s Urban Development Plan 2000-2020 and, as such, are embedded in a solid urban infrastructure strategy. The principal objective of this master plan is to adapt the city’s infrastructure to the rapid demographic changes in the area, including a rapid growth in school age population and the number of elderly people living in the area. The construction and upgrading of sports facilities, parks and centres in new residential areas as well as the expansion of services directed at groups at risks of exclusion, such as elderly people and abused families, provides an important contribution to the stock of social and environmental capital of the city. This project should build on the positive impact of other investments included in Vantaa’s investment programme.

Some components of the project may be regarded as urban development projects, thus falling under Annex II of the EC Directive 97/11 on Environmental Impact Assessment (“EIA”). For each sub-project, the basis for requesting – or not requesting – an EIA by the competent authorities, local planning and approval processes and any actual or possible significant impacts on protected flora and fauna (Habitats’ and Bird Directives) will be verified during project appraisal. As the project is part of a larger urban development programme, the need to undertake a strategic environmental assessment will be verified also during appraisal.

The City of Vantaa follows EU Procurement Directives: it publishes and tenders projects according to generally established and internationally accepted procedures. The City’s construction department is responsible for procurement activities.

Human capital (education and health) and i2i; and improvement of the urban environment.