In April, the government approved a plan to reduce the administrative burden in real estate development, but many people involved in the construction process complain that everything often gets stuck at the municipal level. In addition, changes in the leadership of the National Heritage Board have raised discussions on the protection of Riga's historic center. Ilze Purmale, director of the Riga City Development Department, which has taken over the functions of the former city construction board, tells LETA that very often "projects get stuck" not because the construction board makes new, unreasonable demands, but because elementary things have not been sorted out in the construction project. She also stresses that the Development Department does not look at projects on a plot-by-plot basis, but at least on a block-by-block basis, which is also why disagreements tend to arise on individual projects.

Recently, the issue of the protection of the historic center of Riga on the one hand, and construction in it on the other, has been raised among architects, builders and developers. The issue has been escalated by the contest for the post of the head of the National Heritage Management Board (NKMP), replacing the long-standing head Juris Dambis. Architects have pointed out that the biggest problem is bureaucracy, which is not stipulated in the law on the protection of the historic center of Riga or in the requirements of the NKMP, but in the Riga City Construction Board. Are you surprised by this assessment of the work of the authority?

No, we are used to the fact that the construction authority is being blamed for everything. Historically, there is a stereotypical view that we are the most bureaucratic authority, which is holding back the development of the city. This may have been true a decade ago, but a lot has changed, including our attitudes and working culture. The task of the construction board is to balance the interests of all stakeholders in order to promote quality urban development. We have good cooperation with many designers and developers, whose voices are not as loud as those of their dissatisfied colleagues. In order to help clients, the construction authority is actively running a consultation campaign so that designers and developers understand what path to take for each specific project. The culture of communication needs to be improved on both sides. Unfortunately, false information about a project is often provided by the developers themselves. That is why recently we have been inviting both the developer and the designer together for consultations, so that the client sees and hears our arguments and understands why the project has been stuck. That is, it is not because the building authority is making new, unreasonable demands, but because the building project does not meet the basics requirements.

You mentioned that there were problems in the construction board ten years ago. But in 2019, just five years ago, the chairman of the board of the construction company Piche, Peteris Senkans, said in an interview that he only works in Marupe. When asked why not in Riga, he said it was because of too much bureaucracy. If the municipality of Marupe examines a project in a few weeks, in Riga it takes several months. Has anything changed in five years?

Yes, definitely. For priority projects, we have both so-called green corridors and silk roads, which means faster processing.

What is the average time needed to process a project?

One month. If it is the corridors, it is one to two weeks. In addition, to speed up the process, we communicate by telephone rather than in writing, which is quicker.

OK, then let us turn to the specific example given by the architect Peteris Bajars. An apartment in a historic house in the center needed one wall rebuilt, and the building authority requested an artistic inventory of the whole house, not just the apartment. I am sorry, but this sounds like malice on the part of the building authority.

Yes, it does sound like malice. But it is not true. We checked the case in question. If the building in which an apartment is being redesigned is a cultural monument, then a finding of fact is required on the conservation of heritage values such as ceiling or wall paintings, valuable stoves, etc. In the specific case of Bajars, the building authority required an artistic inventory only for the specific apartment, but never for the whole house. Unfortunately, our colleagues, the designers, in order to dramatize the situation, tend to exaggerate it very much.

At the same time, not only designers but also the Economics Ministry pointed out that there have been cases when the project has been approved by the NKMP, but the construction authority has objections. The question is, should you object to a project that has been approved by the NKMP?

The NKMP is not a hierarchically higher authority than the construction authority, and the NKMP has completely different competences than we do. The construction authority is responsible for compliance with the regulatory framework. The NKMP makes sure that the project fits into the urban environment, with an emphasis on preserving the cultural heritage. It is often the case that the NKMP approves a project within its competence, but we see that the project does not comply with other laws and regulations, which the NKMP has not assessed at all, because it is not their competence.

The most important thing is the application of laws and regulations. Do you have 100 percent confidence that the construction authority always interprets the legislation correctly?

I will not claim that we are 100 percent right in all cases. There have been cases where colleagues have made mistakes and interpretations have been wrong. But then we also correct our mistakes quickly and make a note of them, so that we have a kind of manual of how to proceed. I should also add that our strict building regulations have helped Riga to retain its UNESCO status, protecting the Old Town, the Art Nouveau district and the wooden architecture. The latter is very much disliked by developers, who see wooden buildings as ‘rabbit hutches’ that are a nuisance. But wooden buildings are one of our architectural treasures. This is Riga's charm and unique feature.

It is always more expensive to renovate than to build a new building. Is there an economic "carrot" for developers who want to restore historic buildings?

The municipality is working hard on this; we have several support programs for the renovation of buildings, including wooden buildings. There are also real estate tax rebates. The municipality has also set up a renovation center for wooden buildings to promote the heritage of wooden buildings.

How do you assess the cooperation with designers and developers, what is the quality of the projects they submit?

We have good cooperation with many designers and developers, but the quality of the projects varies widely. I could distinguish three groups of dissatisfied developers. One finds it difficult to accept that their excellent project, which has some non-compliance with the regulations, is not being approved. The second group are very well aware that their project has some infringements, but try to get away with it, thinking that the construction authority might not notice. It takes us a very long time to deal with such projects. The third group is the worst. These are the lazy and not very competent colleagues who actually distort the whole design market. They dump their services on the client, and many clients who are inexperienced fall for it. Clients with a lot of experience, who know how important the design is in construction, of course do not do this. With the third group designers, the process is insanely long and requires a lot of resources on our part.

What is the Construction Authority doing to become a customer-oriented institution?

We are certainly trying to be. This is the consultation that I mentioned earlier, which is necessary together with the client. We have an Urban Planning Board, which has also been expanded to include external experts. This council also gives advice, and it can be obtained for the first time before the project is submitted. We also have mentors for more complex cases who advise.