|
District Court decides to remove skating rink from the Palace Square |
|
Russia - 2008-02-05 - D. Davydov |
|
The District Court of the Kuibyshev District (St. Petersburg) allowed the claim of a group of public representatives against the skating ring, which had been constructed at the Palace Square - exactly vis-à-vis the Winter Palace. The claimants, among them some members of the action group "Save St. Petersburg", had brought forward the argument that the rink would damage the historical ensemble of the Square and would thus curtail their constitutional right of access to the cultural goods (Art. 44 of the Russian Constitution). According to the court's decision, the rink has to be removed now. St. Petersburg's local authority for protection and preservation of monuments as well as the federal service for preservation of the cultural heritage do not accept the court's decision and both intend to appeal to the City Court or, if necessary, to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. |
|
Source: http://interfax.ru |
|
Saxon justice clears the way for the Elbe Bridge |
|
Russia - 2007-11-14 - D. Davydov |
|
The Higher Administrative Court of Saxony confirmed its former position on the project of the Elbe Bridge according to that the project does not violate the law. The court’s recent decision set aside the foregone judgment of the Administrative Court of Dresden which had suspended the bridge construction. Thus, the doubts of those nature conservation associations were finally refuted which had worried that the bridge might destroy the rare bat’s habitat. According to the recent judgment, a simple speed limit will suffice in order to protect bats against the traffic. Although the court’s judgment is just an interim one and the Bridge-case is to be heard in 2008, the discussible project could be then advanced to such an extent that the impact on the unique river landscape would be irreversible. |
|
Source: www.welterbe-erhalten.de |
|
Russian Supreme Court frustrates the skyscraper construction |
|
Russia - 2007-10-26 - D. Davydov |
|
The Russian Supreme Court allowed an appeal against the decision of Saint Petersburg city court, according to which the governmental financing agenda "Concerning the construction of an administrative business centre in Saint Petersburg" would conform to the legal requirements. In detail, the Supreme Court confirmed that the government had neglected to establish certain indispensable procedures such as a public hearing and an environmental impact assessment while enacting the financing agenda. The agenda's aim was to subsidize a controversial project of the Gazprom headquarter: a 320-meter skyscraper. Thus the position of those public associations was proved to be correct, who had challenged the skyscraper project. However, the aspects of heritage protection – especially the question of the impact the skyscraper might have on the historical skyline of Saint Petersburg – were not taken into consideration. |
|
Source: http://www.kommersant.ru |
|
Gazprom tower put to test |
|
Russia - 2007-07-18 - D. Davydov |
|
UNESCO has asked Russia to withhold permission for the planned Gazprom Headquarter in St. Petersburg until it has assessed the impact on the historic skyline of the former imperial metropolis. The official request was issued by the World Heritage Committee, a body empowered to monitor sites included in World Heritage list. A suspension of the permit procedure is necessary in order to evaluate project documents accurately and to prove, whether the outstanding universal value of heritage has been fully assessed.
Gazprom wants to build a 320-meter skyscraper in the neglected industrial area of Okhta, straight vis-a-vis the 18th-century Smolny-Cathedral. Apart from the damage the tower could cause on the historical silhouette, construction works might destroy the unique archeological traces left by the Swedish precursors of St. Petersburg, the erstwhile settlements Landscrona and Nyenskans nearby the estuary of the Okhta River. |
|
Source: Reuters |
