Who is allowed to build cottages in wilderness area? (photo)
An elite cottage village is being constructed on the bank of the Vileika storage pond, in the place of the village of Kuchki. Maladzechna District State Control Committee is aware of it. However, it lacks time to conduct all the necessary check-ups to find out if it is legal. All check-ups are performed according to special plans. Inhabitants of Frunzenski, Mascouski and part of Kastrychnitski Districts of Minsk use water coming thought the Vileika-Minsk water system from the Vileika storage pond. ERB has found out that Minsk inhabitants do not only drink Vileika water but also bathe in it and build cottages, bath-houses and toilets on the bank of the storage pond.
The territory around the Vileika storage pond is considered to be a wilderness area. According to the regulation #377 of the Council of Ministers of March 21, 2006 “On regulation of size and boundaries of water reservoirs and regime of economical activity”, the minimal size of such areas should be at least 300 meters. Tablets warning about prohibition to drive in the area are placed everywhere. However, an ERB reporter noted that people were driving in the area and even building cottages in the place of the village of Kuchki which is 50 meters from the water.
The head of the State Control Committee Zyanon Lomats disapproves of construction of cottages and houses in wilderness areas and riversides of lakes, rivers and ponds. He has promised to make sure that the provisions of the Land Code and nature-conservative laws are fulfilled. ERB decided to find out whether the head of Maladzechna Inter-District State Control Committee Dzina Hromava was worried about the construction of cottages in Kuchki.
Dzіna Hromava: “I know that plots are being allocated there. But I’m unaware of the scale of construction. I also do not know if they have a permission of architects and whether the environmental protection commission is ware of it. I cannot give you the answer whether it is being done according to the law because we have not conducted check-ups there”.
To find everything out, they have to go to Kuchki and conduct a check-up, says the head of the Inter-District State Control Committee. But nobody knows when they will have time for it.
Dzіna Hromava: “Everything is being done according to the existing plan. Now we should conduct check-ups in Myadzel District”.
It is impossible to by an old house in Kuchki now. The price of a dilapidated house with a plot is from 30 to 80 thousand USD and all of them have already been sold. Local inhabitants earn good money helping to build cottages. They named some owners of the cottages and it turned out that almost all of them were from Minsk. One man boasted that he was making a raft near the cottage of Yahor Hrustaleu, the director-general of ONT. The house of the presenter of “Good morning, Belarus”, Svyatlana Barouskaya was shown to the ERB reporter too.
The head of land and geodesy service of Vileika District Executive Committee Raisa Novikava admitted that plots for construction of cottages had been allocated in the village of Kuchki. But … there are no cottages.
Raіsa Novіkava: “All the plots were meant for construction works but there are no cottages. All the plots were discussed by a commission in Kuchki”.
According to her, ordinary houses were built there. Cottages are built in the place of old houses that the new owners bought together with plots. This is beyond the scope of her service.
Raіsa Novіkava: “Speaking about the riverside of the storage pond where cottages are being built now, I can only tell you that people bought old houses and said they would repair them. But this is an architectural, not a land issue”.
The head architect of Vileika District Halina Kazharnovich admitted that new owners simply demolished old houses and built cottages in their place. No violations were found except for one bath-house built without permission and some extra meters of land attached to some plots.
Halіna Kazharnovіch: “A commission worked there. And it was not the only one. We did not find any sever violations there. People bought dilapidated houses and “repaired” them calling it reconstruction.
Photos clearly show what kind of “repair works” have been performed by new inhabitants of Kuchki in the wilderness area near the Vileika storage pond. At the same time, article #9 of the Council of Ministers says that “any construction and repair works of houses and garages in the wilderness area are forbidden”.
Vileika storage pond. The village of Kuchki lies behind the warning tablet.
Vileika storage pond. Construction of cottages is going on in the wilderness area almost 30-50 meters from the water.
Vileika storage pond. One of the “repaired” houses.
Vileika storage pond. This palace will take the place of a dilapidated house after some “reconstruction”.
Vileika storage pond. The head architect of Vileika District Halina Kazharnovich syas that these are not cottages built in the wilderness area. These are ordinary houses.
Vileika storage pond. Officials say that the site allocated for a new building project is empty.
Vileika storage pond. This house is 150 meters from the storage pond, so it is inside the 300-meters wilderness area.
Vileika storage pond. The sun setting in the water of Vileika storage pond can be seen out of the windows of this house.
The territory around the Vileika storage pond is considered to be a wilderness area. According to the regulation #377 of the Council of Ministers of March 21, 2006 “On regulation of size and boundaries of water reservoirs and regime of economical activity”, the minimal size of such areas should be at least 300 meters. Tablets warning about prohibition to drive in the area are placed everywhere. However, an ERB reporter noted that people were driving in the area and even building cottages in the place of the village of Kuchki which is 50 meters from the water.
The head of the State Control Committee Zyanon Lomats disapproves of construction of cottages and houses in wilderness areas and riversides of lakes, rivers and ponds. He has promised to make sure that the provisions of the Land Code and nature-conservative laws are fulfilled. ERB decided to find out whether the head of Maladzechna Inter-District State Control Committee Dzina Hromava was worried about the construction of cottages in Kuchki.
Dzіna Hromava: “I know that plots are being allocated there. But I’m unaware of the scale of construction. I also do not know if they have a permission of architects and whether the environmental protection commission is ware of it. I cannot give you the answer whether it is being done according to the law because we have not conducted check-ups there”.
To find everything out, they have to go to Kuchki and conduct a check-up, says the head of the Inter-District State Control Committee. But nobody knows when they will have time for it.
Dzіna Hromava: “Everything is being done according to the existing plan. Now we should conduct check-ups in Myadzel District”.
It is impossible to by an old house in Kuchki now. The price of a dilapidated house with a plot is from 30 to 80 thousand USD and all of them have already been sold. Local inhabitants earn good money helping to build cottages. They named some owners of the cottages and it turned out that almost all of them were from Minsk. One man boasted that he was making a raft near the cottage of Yahor Hrustaleu, the director-general of ONT. The house of the presenter of “Good morning, Belarus”, Svyatlana Barouskaya was shown to the ERB reporter too.
The head of land and geodesy service of Vileika District Executive Committee Raisa Novikava admitted that plots for construction of cottages had been allocated in the village of Kuchki. But … there are no cottages.
Raіsa Novіkava: “All the plots were meant for construction works but there are no cottages. All the plots were discussed by a commission in Kuchki”.
According to her, ordinary houses were built there. Cottages are built in the place of old houses that the new owners bought together with plots. This is beyond the scope of her service.
Raіsa Novіkava: “Speaking about the riverside of the storage pond where cottages are being built now, I can only tell you that people bought old houses and said they would repair them. But this is an architectural, not a land issue”.
The head architect of Vileika District Halina Kazharnovich admitted that new owners simply demolished old houses and built cottages in their place. No violations were found except for one bath-house built without permission and some extra meters of land attached to some plots.
Halіna Kazharnovіch: “A commission worked there. And it was not the only one. We did not find any sever violations there. People bought dilapidated houses and “repaired” them calling it reconstruction.
Photos clearly show what kind of “repair works” have been performed by new inhabitants of Kuchki in the wilderness area near the Vileika storage pond. At the same time, article #9 of the Council of Ministers says that “any construction and repair works of houses and garages in the wilderness area are forbidden”.
Vileika storage pond. The village of Kuchki lies behind the warning tablet.
Vileika storage pond. Construction of cottages is going on in the wilderness area almost 30-50 meters from the water.
Vileika storage pond. One of the “repaired” houses.
Vileika storage pond. This palace will take the place of a dilapidated house after some “reconstruction”.
Vileika storage pond. The head architect of Vileika District Halina Kazharnovich syas that these are not cottages built in the wilderness area. These are ordinary houses.
Vileika storage pond. Officials say that the site allocated for a new building project is empty.
Vileika storage pond. This house is 150 meters from the storage pond, so it is inside the 300-meters wilderness area.
Vileika storage pond. The sun setting in the water of Vileika storage pond can be seen out of the windows of this house.
