The unsystematic construction of high-rise buildings in Batumi will not stop after the approval of the new rules for the development of the city by the Georgian parliament, since the majority in all government bodies belongs to the ruling party, Ajarian activists pointed out. The Georgian Parliament emphasized that the new rules oblige the project to be approved not only by the Batumi City Hall, but also by the City Council, which will increase quality control.
The residents of Batumi have repeatedly protested against the construction of skyscrapers. So, on January 4, 2021, a protest rally was held in the city against the construction of a new hotel «Ambassador» on the site of a former balneological clinic. On January 24, 2021, protesters said that the construction of a 16-storey hotel in Batumi violates the architectural style of the old city.
Batumi is a Black Sea resort in the West of Georgia. This city is the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, a border region. From here it is within easy reach of Turkey.
On June 23, the Georgian Parliament approved new rules for the development of Batumi. The change in the law serves to demolish emergency multi-apartment buildings in the Batumi municipality and build modern residential complexes in their place, which will help create a safe living environment, as well as improve the appearance of the city, the parliament said in a statement.
Changes to the draft law on the development of Batumi were made on the basis of consultations. The bill re-establishes a decision-making mechanism. Instead of a unified decision of the mayor, the Batumi City Council and the advisory body of the mayor’s office will be involved, explained Deputy Secretary of the Georgian Parliament Vakhtang Bachiashvili.
According to the new wording, the mayor of the city will have the right to apply to the sakrebulo (city council) with a request to demolish emergency houses and build new ones instead of them only if the city council gives a positive recommendation on the project. The final decision will be made by the City Council.
«The main remark concerned the decision of the mayor of the municipality. We introduced a dual mechanism. At the same time, unlike the version presented at the first hearing, it was clarified what the possibility of establishing a different norm is and what norms can be derogated from,» — are given on the website of the Parliament of Georgia Bachiashvili’s words.
Residents and activists of Batumi are dissatisfied with the chaotic development of the city, they have repeatedly taken part in protests. The original version of the bill, which was approved by the Georgian Parliament, provided that the decision would be made solely by the Mayor of Batumi, but the final version included a clause that the Batumi City Council and the advisory body of the Batumi Mayor’s Office would be involved in the decision-making process, said the chairman of the Adjarian branch of the Young Advocates NGO Paate Diasamidze.
«Huge 17-storey houses are being built without yards, without parking lots, there are no public gardens. Cars are standing on the sidewalks, hindering traffic. Huge complexes are being built, but there is no provision for the development of infrastructure — schools, kindergartens, clinics. Nobody remembers the greening of the city, the creation of public gardens parks,» he told the correspondent.
“Residents of the city cannot fully breathe the sea air, as high-rise buildings interfere with its flows. Investors, mostly foreigners, are not interested in the needs of Batumi residents. They make a profit, and they are only interested in this”, Diasamidze added.
In his opinion, the law adopted by the Parliament of Georgia will not change the situation and will not stop corruption. The Batumi city council and the advisory body of the mayor’s office are mostly made up of members of the Georgian Dream party, and they will always vote as directed, the activist believes.
He also stressed that attempts to get the authorities to stop the construction of individual skyscrapers are not bearing fruit. «We filed a lawsuit against the construction of skyscrapers on the Batumi Riviera. But the court has not yet been appointed. And when these skyscrapers are built, they will tell us that we cannot demolish these buildings. Now the Ambassador company is building a high-rise building on Batumi Boulevard. Initially, they received permission to build a one-story balneological resort. Then — to build a 10-story building. Now they are building a 17-story building, despite all the protests. Just think, a 17-story building is being built right on the territory of the boulevard and no one can prevent it «, — Paate Diasamidze is indignant.
Activists cannot stop the construction of skyscrapers in Batumi, including because of corruption among officials, journalist Liza Vadochkoria believes. «Corruption reigns in the construction sector, and this can be seen with the naked eye. The authorities promised to establish a moratorium on construction in Old Batumi. But just look, on Old Boulevard, near the Sheraton Hotel, a nondescript huge building was built and no one was able to stop construction, although there was there are many protests,» she told the correspondent.
According to her, there is a problem with unjustified construction, including in the area where she lives. «A house is being built nearby, which should not have been built, because there was not enough space for the construction of a house under the law. So the owner of the construction site added a section of the road to his construction site. We filed complaints with the mayor’s office, but there was no response. That is we are talking about illegal construction. It is clear that we are talking about corruption,» the journalist said.