At the National Climate Summit in Lemvig, University of Copenhagen researcher Ole Fryd said Denmark should over time give up summer house and allotment areas that are too expensive to protect against flooding.
The proposal was presented on August 19, 2026, as this year’s summit opened in Lemvig. DR reports that Fryd, who researches landscape architecture and planning, was one of the keynote speakers. He argued that some existing holiday home and kolonihave areas should be phased out rather than defended indefinitely.
According to DR, Fryd pointed to sea level rise and coastal erosion as continuous processes. Protective measures must therefore be maintained over time, which carries costs in money, materials, environmental impact and CO2. On that basis, he said, phasing out certain settlements may be the better option for society as a whole.
DR notes that planned retreat from summer house areas has not yet happened in Denmark. Fryd said politicians in Sweden, France and the United States have begun phasing out exposed areas. He described a growing political willingness in Denmark to discuss the same, after the idea was close to taboo five years ago.
Local real estate agent Susanne Pallestoft told DR that the prospect of future flooding has no visible effect on buyers. She said demand for summer houses in the Lemvig area is high and that some properties sell above the asking price. Per her account, she sees no nervousness about water or climate among buyers in the area.
The summit and its agenda
The event runs on August 19 and 20 at Klimatorium in Lemvig. According to the official programme published by Klimatorium, Fryd’s keynote is titled “Tilbagetrækning som klimahandling,” or retreat as climate action. The programme frames managed retreat as an alternative to building dikes or enlarging sewer systems.
Folkebladet Lemvig previewed the summit on August 11, 2026, describing it as a forum for the difficult choices around rising water. The paper wrote that not everything can be protected, and that up to 500 researchers and decision makers were expected. Coastal areas where protection must be weighed against retreat are on the agenda.
Lemvig Municipality’s Klimatilpasningsplan 2023 identifies storm surges, coastal erosion, higher groundwater and extreme rainfall as key future risks. The plan, published by Lemvig Kommune, names summer house areas including Gjellerodde as focus areas for climate adaptation. Storm surges are among the risks listed for the municipality’s coastline.
A risk analysis from the housing portal Boliga, summarized by Klimamonitor in April 2024, found that about one in three Danish leisure homes was at high risk of flooding. The same analysis listed Lemvig among the most exposed municipalities, with around 38 percent of all dwellings at risk.
