Construction Permit in Fizgorodok Not Suspended, Possible Verbal Agreements for Temporary Halt: Karapetyan

On the previous day, residents of "Fizgorodok" staged a protest in front of the city hall, demanding the cessation of construction activities for a high-rise building in the physics district. They had meetings at the city hall, after which they disseminated information that the construction had been suspended.

The spokesperson for Yerevan City Hall, Hakob Karapetyan, told ArmDaily.am that the construction permit has not been suspended and remains legally in effect. There may have been verbal agreements for a temporary halt to active operations, but the construction has not been suspended.

In response to the claim that residents insist the construction was halted due to a lack of environmental impact assessments, he emphasized that there was a follow-up meeting at the city hall the day before, attended by representatives of the residents and relevant officials from the city hall.

“This is likely the tenth meeting of this kind in the past 2.5 years. This is, moreover, in response to claims that the city hall is not engaging or listening to residents' opinions, etc. Residents’ opinions are not only heard, but thoughts are generated throughout these discussions. In any case, a meeting took place, and the city hall merely presented what has been conveyed in previous months and years. I personally have had the opportunity, and my colleagues have had the chance, to convey that when discussing whether to grant construction permits, Yerevan city hall follows exclusively the powers and obligations assigned to it by the laws of Armenia. The city hall has examined the construction application thoroughly, a broad public discussion took place, and there was also a professional discussion in the form of a session of the urban planning council, which almost unanimously approved this project. Following around 2.5 years of discussions, the city hall made a decision to allow the construction. This is the maximum that could have been done within the framework of the city hall's powers. Residents claim that the property rights of this developer in the area are questionable or contested in court, etc. If there are substantial doubts or proven facts regarding ownership, the city hall will seek information from relevant state bodies, including law enforcement and the court, which could undermine the basis for granting that construction permit, and appropriate conclusions will undoubtedly be drawn.

The city hall has no tools or authority to assess whether the ownership rights or the property title are based on legal grounds or not,” he added.

It is noted that in a previous conversation with ArmDaily.am, the director of "Radkus" LLC, Arthur Mnatsakanyan, stated that when 100% construction was previously planned, an environmental impact assessment was conducted in 2006. However, now, since the trench is less than 1500 meters, legally an environmental impact assessment is not required. "We have a conclusion from the Ministry of Environment stating that there is no environmental impact assessment. We design buildings in other locations as well and have conducted environmental assessments; we know the procedures, but since the trench here is small, there is no need for it."