Land boom in Vitebsk: the number of people wishing to obtain a plot for housing construction is growing in the city

"Vitbichi" met with the head of the land management service of the city executive committee, Tatyana Guzikova, to get answers to questions frequently asked by citizens.

- Tatyana Nikolaevna, how much is land within the city limits in demand today for individual housing construction?

- Very much in demand, I would say there is a kind of land boom. Not so long ago, there were free plots of land available for individual construction in Bilevo, Tulovo, and the service employees disseminated information about this to everyone who wanted to build their own home through the internet and the press.

At the beginning of last year, the situation changed fundamentally. And today, there is a queue of over four hundred people. Now there are not enough plots to meet the needs of those who need to improve their housing conditions. And although the queue in Vitebsk is much smaller than in other regional centers, where the numbers are two to three times larger, this does not reduce the relevance of the problem.

- What is causing such demand for land plots?

- We analyzed the situation and came to the following conclusion. If a citizen builds an apartment, they must pay the necessary amount for the construction of housing within a year (it is built faster). As for individual construction on their own plot, the deadlines here are more extended: the citizen is obliged to start work within the first year and complete it within three. However, some overestimate their capabilities and cannot even start the zero construction cycle within the time allotted by law.

- Tatyana Nikolaevna, what amounts are Vitebsk residents willing to pay to become owners of a land plot?

- The amounts depend on many factors: on the development of infrastructure, the availability of a gas pipeline, nearby green areas and water bodies. In 2014, they ranged from 50 to 140 million per plot at the auction announcement. The sale of land plots on Krupskaya Street and 2nd Aksanovsky Lane was particularly intense, as there were eight applicants for one plot. The initial starting price of 70-130 million eventually jumped to 250-590 million rubles. Last year, plots worth over 8 billion rubles were sold in the city.

- Among the important functions assigned to your service are the regulation of land relations and state control over the protection and use of land. What can you say about this?

- Indeed, for any land issues related to the construction of housing and facilities of various functional purposes, we prepare supporting documents, from permits for design to registration of rights to land plots.

There are 17 investment projects in progress within the city limits, for which land has been provided to investors free of charge. Our service strictly monitors the use of plots provided both on a paid and gratuitous basis. Last year alone, we identified 80 violations of land legislation, including 22 cases of unauthorized land occupation and 37 cases related to non-use of land within the established deadlines. 13 of the most negligent owners had their previously allocated plots withdrawn and redistributed to those in need. Fines are applied to such violators, starting from 10 basic units. More than 20 officials of business entities were fined for non-compliance with the deadlines for returning temporarily occupied land.

- In which direction will the individual housing development microdistricts grow?

- Individual housing construction is underway in the Bitelevo and Tulovo quarters. Land plots (about 180 of them) in the Orekhovo quarter (Markovshchina district) are being prepared for distribution. We have to develop infrastructure more quickly in new territories that previously belonged to the Vitebsk region and were incorporated into the city limits in 2011.

Elena Bashun, "Vitbichi"