Press Release, 11.11.2016

On 10 November, public hearings held in the Yaroslavsky district, Moscow, demonstrated that residents rejected he project of building up the territory adjacent to Losiniy Ostrov (the “moose island”), a national park in the north-east of Moscow. Sergei Mitrokhin, Chairman of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO, participated in the hearings.

The project envisaged construction of a residential complex with social and public services, administrative facilities and a hotel, 99 meters high. This involved pulling down of private garages and widening of the highway by two times.

Over 200 people came to the hearings and the hall could hardly contain all. Representatives of the developer could not answer most of the residents’ questions.

Sergei Mitrokhin indicated to the developer that building of facilities in the buffer zone (150 m) of the national park would violate the law. In addition, implementation of the project would lead to significant worsening of the traffic situation at the Yaroslavl highway, which was already very poor.

Mitrokhin proposed to give word to the representatives of the Directorate of the national park. They expressed their disagreement with the project, stating that it would inflict irreparable damage to the ecology of the national park.

The organisers failed to finish the public hearings due to the fact that all the participants opposed the project, and left the room in protest.

Mitrokhin proposed to finish hearings by voting: none of 150 residents who remained in the hall supported the project, 100 per cent voted against.

Sergei Mitrokhin took the initiative to inform Moscow authorities of the residents’ position.