Instead of renovating the old apartment buildings, the Ministry of the Environment suggests demolishing them and rebuilding new, taller houses on the same plot. The Builders Association also sees financial and legal challenges. Experts say that the government must create financial incentives to acquire the right to land, then there will be an opportunity to destroy Soviet antiquities.
With closed windows and carefully guarded - this is the state of emergency of Viršuliškių apartment building won't last long. The majority of residents agreed with the municipality's proposal to rebuild the house.
Now a contractor will be sought, who must calculate the amount for which the house can be rebuilt.
The Ministry of the Environment proposes to demolish old, fire-ravaged or otherwise damaged apartment buildings instead of rebuilding them.
"There are buildings that need to be demolished or have not been maintained for decades," said Simonas Gentvilas, Minister of the Environment.
Raimundas, a native of Vilnius, lives in an apartment building built during the Soviet era. Although the house already has strange plumbing, corridor windows and doors, there is still a lot to fix.
"There are such questions here. Doors, thresholds rotten. Come on, you're welcome. They say it's strange," said Raimundas from Vilnius.
Since the building does not receive renovation, Raimundas supports the minister's idea to demolish the house altogether.
"It's easier to demolish and build a new one." It would be cheaper than renovating," said Raimundas from Vilnius.
Raimundo's neighbor - before grandiose changes.
"They invented nonsense. Where will people live if they topple the houses? Let them empty the garbage dumps", said Pranas from Vilnius.
The Minister of the Environment explains that Soviet antiquities will remain, while even older houses from the tsarist era will collapse. But right here he adds: the municipalities themselves will decide what to demolish and what not.
"One hundred percent consent of the population will be required or the municipality will declare it an emergency and dangerous housing," said the Minister of the Environment.
"The Constitution protects private property, forcibly evicting residents would not succeed. Would there be enough financial resources to demolish those old buildings and start building new ones?" - wondered Dalius Gedvilas, head of the builders' association.
According to the minister, municipalities will have to provide temporary housing and figure out how to convince people to demolish their houses.
"Perhaps to increase the height in those places, thus attracting additional investments. It would be attracted not only with the money of the residents, but also with the money of the developers", said S. Gentvilas.
The expert says that saying goodbye to the old house will be attractive if the government creates an incentive for residents to acquire the right to own land, which is not the case now, because the land is state-owned.
"The authorities should understand that the Soviet districts have value, but it is not in the buildings, architecture, not even in the best renovated apartments, the value is in the land. And in order for the value of the land to be utilized, plots need to be formed, which has not been done in Lithuania in 34 years," said Dovydas Vitkauskas, a member of the Advisory Council for Better Regulation.
According to the expert, house demolition is a consequence of stuck renovation.
"Renovation is definitely not going as we would like and renovation is not necessarily taking place in the worst buildings. Because it is left to people's initiative and organization, and as a rule, in the worst buildings, people find it difficult to come to an agreement," said Valdas Lukoševičius, president of the heating association.
Currently, over 3750 apartment buildings have been renovated, which is 13 percent of all apartment buildings in the country. Builders propose to fundamentally change the renovation model.
"It is necessary to review the scheme and include heat suppliers in the renovation process. To look for incentives so that they would like to participate and contribute financially", said Dalius Gedvilas, the head of the builders' association.
The Ministry of Environment promises to prepare amendments to the house demolition law by autumn.
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