14 July 2009, 15:00
Sochi General Plan adopted, despite protests of ecologists and Russia's "Minprirody"
Today, the session of City Assembly of Sochi has adopted the General Plan of civil development. According to city's Chief Architect Oleg Sheveiko, the overall objective of the Plan is in further development of Sochi and its transformation into the world-level tourist centre.
As reported by the "Interfax", the General Plan of the city-resort was adopted unanimously, in spite of the fact that ecologists and the Ministry for Protection of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Russian Federation ("Minprirody") were against it.
Among other things, the General Plan of development of the city-resort Sochi till 2032 assumes build-up of a part of the Sochi National Park. The "Infox.ru" Agency explains that the city authorities believe that the above part is not protected, and the Park had just incorporated the land in the course of land-surveying.
According to Sochi Mayor Pakhomov, "Minprirody" insists that the National Park would not even give the territories, which are already under construction. At land-surveying, the Park had incorporated the settlements, which in 1977 belonged to the city. After a meeting with Dmitri Kozak, Russian Minister for Regional Development, a decision was made to adopt the General Plan with disagreements.
