26.11.2014

Statement by the Moscow branch of the YABLOKO party

On November 24, 2014, [the authorities] announced public hearings on “The project [for] area planning in Mnevnikovskaya floodplain” which is part of the natural protection zone “Natural-Historical Park Moskvoretsky”. The project envisages construction of the Parliamentary Centre for the Federal Assembly of Russia. The fact that such hearings were announced demonstrates that the authorities gave the project a “green light”.

Quite symbolically on the same day Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Russians had to “tighten their belts” because of the economic crisis. This is the manifestation of the classic case where one carries fire in one hand and water in the other.

The Parliamentary Centre was not built in the days when an oil rain was pouring on the country. Today when citizens are proposed to “tighten their belts” MPs, on the opposite, receive a gift in the form of improved working and living conditions. According to the presented draft project, it is planned to build not only the Parliamentary Centre for the Federal Assembly of Russia, but also a sports center, transport interchange nodes, housing and administrative buildings. The cost of the Parliamentary Centre only is estimated at USD 1.5 billion.

The choice of construction site causes much resentment, as it is a specially protected natural reservation.

Six years ago parliamentarians wanted to take a children’s park around the stadium “Krasnaya Presnya” from Muscovites, now MPs’ appetites focused on Mnevnikovskaya floodplain which is part of the natural and historical park “Moskvoretsky”. It is envisaged to build administrative and socio-residential buildings in over a third of 351.6 hectares of the floodplain.

Mnevnikovskaya floodplain is a habitat to more than 30 rare species of birds and animals listed in the Red Data Book of the City of Moscow.

Today the Government of Moscow has positioned Mnevnikovskoy floodplain area as an “uncomfortable, depressed territory” where “facilities causing great damage to the environment continue functioning despite bans and courts’ decisions”. The Moscow Government sees solution of this problem in the total building up of Mnevnikovskaya floodplain.

This stance of the Moscow authorities is a surprise, as under the current legislation protection, maintenance and use of protected areas in order to preserve unique and typical natural complexes and objects, flora and fauna and their genetic fund, study of natural processes biosphere and control over the change in its condition, and environmental education is the task of the authorities of the city of Moscow, and their criminal negligence of this fact led to such a situation that the territory of Mnevnikovskaya floodplain is far from the condition appropriate to the natural territory.

Despite this, instead of solving the problem on the proper maintenance of Mnevnikovskaya floodplain, the Moscow Government pushes through the decision on building-up of this territory.

The YABLOKO party believes that the draft “The project [for] area planning in Mnevnikovskaya floodplain” submitted to public hearings contradicts to the following [laws]:

– the Charter of the City of Moscow prohibiting alienation of lands of specially protected natural territories;

– The law of the city of Moscow No 48 “On Specially Protected Natural Territories of the City of Moscow” dated 26.09.2001 prohibiting construction within the boundaries of protected areas which is contrary to the purposes of education and the use of specially protected natural areas;

– The General Plan of Moscow Development which stipulates that the territory of Mnevnikovskaya floodplain is specially protected natural area and is not intended for placement of objects in the interests of the Russian Federation on the territory of Moscow;

– The City Development Code of the city of Moscow, according to which the development of the area is to be carried out in accordance with guidelines for the General Plan of Moscow Development that have not been adopted by Moscow yet;

– the draft submitted to public hearings and its feasibility study say nothing about the settlement Tretykov in the territory of Mnevnikovskaya floodplain where about a hundred of Muscovites have their permanent resident and private property.

The YABLOKO party urges:

– the Moscow Government to abandon the adventure that threatens to destroy 20 per cent of the natural reserve territory Moskvoretsky and is prone of an ecological disaster in the North-West and West of Moscow and is contrary to both the spirit and letter of the city development and environmental legislation, and withdraw the draft “The project [for] area planning in Mnevnikovskaya floodplain” (part of a protected natural area “Natural-Historical Park Moskvoretsky “) submitted to public hearings;

– Deputies of the State Duma and Federation Council members to listen to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov;

– postpone the construction of the Parliamentary Centre;

– in the future to find a location for the Parliamentary Centre which would be acceptable from an environmental point of view.