In the Vitebsk region, over 13.6 thousand square meters of housing were commissioned thanks to the construction amnesty
Who are these "illegals"?
The Committee for Construction and Architecture of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee avoids the word "illegals". Diana Sharkel, Deputy Head of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, explains:
— It would be wrong to classify everyone who falls under Decree No. 253 today as conscious violators. We often encounter people who did not even know that their actions (and sometimes inaction) were contrary to the law.
As confirmation, she provides an example: the owner of a private house in a village made a small reconstruction and applied to the Real Estate Registration and Cadastre Agency. During the inspection of the house, it suddenly turned out that the previous owners were not so law-abiding and had already carried out a certain rearrangement of the house without documenting it. It turns out that now the current owner of the property faces a long journey through official channels: it is necessary to conduct inspections, obtain certificates and permits from various authorities. Some started this difficult process, while others simply stopped halfway, preferring to save their nerves, time, and money.
Indeed, life situations can be different, and it is not entirely fair to immediately classify everyone as a self-builder. Especially elderly people who have lived in their homes for decades and did not even know that they were violators.
In one of the districts, I was told a story about lonely rural pensioners who, due to age and infirmity, were forced to change their place of residence fifteen years ago – they moved from a remote village to an agro-town, closer to "civilization" and a rural outpatient clinic. Since the grandmother was practically bedridden, her husband specifically chose a house with a bathhouse in the garden. And then it suddenly turned out that the bathhouse was not legalized! They were offered to demolish it... Fortunately, Decree No. 253 came to the rescue, and with the help of local authorities, the elderly couple managed to sort out the documents.
Now We Are the Owners
...Together with the chairman of the Oktyabrsky rural executive committee of the Vitebsk region, Yuri Osipov, we are going to Sokoliniki to visit former unauthorized builders, and now – the legal owners of an excellent cottage. The young family has already received all the documents and registered in their house, the construction of which took eight years.
— After getting married, we immediately made a decision – we will live in our own house. And we will build it with our own hands, — says Alexander Losyakin, recounting the backstory. — However, we didn't think that the housewarming would drag on for such a long time and that our family would have doubled by then...
So, in 2014, Alexander and Olga bought a plot in suburban Sokoliniki (it's only three kilometers from Vitebsk) with an unconserved structure. The previous owner changed his mind about building and only managed to lay the foundation on his former parental estate. The new settlers explain:
— We had to demolish this foundation in the end. We developed the project of the future house ourselves, thought through the layout, and saved money. And then Alina was born, and then Ivan. We decided not to get into debt and only started active construction in 2019. By that time, some changes in the project had matured – we took into account the interests of children of different sexes, and for the sake of economy, we abandoned the four-pitched roof and made it a gable roof. The height of the roof also turned out to be higher...
In general, when it was time to commission the house, the Losyakins were presented with a fait accompli: their cottage was being classified as an unauthorized construction, it was very problematic to legalize it, and they could not register. Alexander recalls:
— Of course, we were shocked. Fortunately, the district executive committee and the rural executive committee suggested a solution to the problem.
Thanks to the President for this decree – everything fell into place. But, of course, we drew certain conclusions and will not make similar mistakes in the future.
…While we are talking, the happy three-year-old Vanyusha is chasing a fluffy calico cat around the yard. Here, in their home surrounded by nature, the Losyakin family feels good and comfortable. The time of worries has passed, the young couple and their children feel happy, are slowly continuing to improve their property, and are working on new projects – taking into account the experience gained.
May the Gardens Bloom
Yuri Osipov cites figures: during the period of Decree No. 253, in the Oktyabrsky rural council alone, the document helped legalize the real estate of 26 owners – holders of yesterday's unauthorized construction. This is almost every third of the total number of new settlers.
There are many such people in the Voronovsky rural council as well. After all, more than 300 people have taken advantage of the construction amnesty in the Vitebsk region since September 2022.
…In Polyai, we turn off Solnechnaya onto Lugovaya. The surroundings are as beautiful as the street names. There are many new buildings in the village. Vitebsk residents are actively moving here – the city is nearby and there are two picturesque lakes. Vladimir Gumnyonkov, a resident of the regional center, does not regret buying a plot of land here back in 1998. True, he only started building his house relatively recently, but the apple trees are about to bloom in his young orchard.
Vladimir Gumnyonkov— Alas, the garden has grown, but I can't become the owner of the farmstead, — the owner jokes. — Problems arose where I least expected them…
Vladimir Alexandrovich recounts: a quarter of a century ago, when the plot was allocated, land surveyors used a regular theodolite (a handheld instrument). They hammered in stakes: this is your land. And when it was time to hand over the house, the boundaries were checked using a special satellite system. And it turned out that there was almost a hundred square meters of illegally occupied land, moreover, in the protection zone of a power line. It turned out to be impossible to legalize the land, the fence had to be dismantled, and violations were also revealed regarding the construction of yard buildings. Six months of running around to various authorities. Decree No. 253 came to the rescue again. Now the Gumnekov family is awaiting a decision from the district executive committee, after which they will finally be able to legalize their property and register in the new house.
OFFICIAL
Decree No. 253 "On the simplified procedure for commissioning construction objects" is temporary. It is valid until January 1, 2025, and grants local authorities the right to commission single-family residential houses and non-residential buildings erected by citizens without permits and design documentation (except for those located in Minsk). The document allows for the legalization of self-built structures on land plots obtained before September 1, 2022.
FIGURE
In accordance with Decree No. 253, 155 new residential buildings have already been commissioned in the Vitebsk region in 2024. Plus, reconstructed housing with expanded area. The largest number of new buildings under the construction amnesty has been commissioned in the Vitebsk, Orsha, Braslav and Beshenkovichi districts, as well as in the city of Vitebsk. Since the decree came into force, the residential sector has grown by almost 100 thousand square meters thanks to this legislative act.