NE Estonia to get money from govt for demolition of abandoned apartment buildings

  • 2024-11-05
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN – The Estonian Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture is set to allocate two million euros to local governments in East-Viru County to address the problem of empty or emptying apartment buildings.

Completely or largely unused apartment buildings spoil the cityscape, pose a danger, and the obligations associated with their maintenance are often greater for the owners than the value of the property.

To solve this, four municipalities of East-Viru County -- the cities of Kohtla-Järve and Narva-Jõesuu, and the rural municipalities of Alutaguse and Lüganuse -- have expressed their desire to participate in this year's application round. These municipalities wish to demolish 15 unused or mostly unused apartment buildings in total.

Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Piret Hartman said that, simultaneously, the ministry is developing a support measure to boost the construction of new apartment buildings in the region.

"There is a continuing need for new quality housing in the region. The large investments made through the Just Transition Fund will bring jobs to the region, which will increase the need for housing," the minister added.

The first application round for vacant apartment buildings was held in 2023, and the activities financed as part of that round are still ongoing. Prior to this, pilot projects were carried out, the results of which were used in the development of the funding measure.

A legal analysis and studies on vacancy patterns showed that, in addition to the fact that the planning of housing is a task assigned by law to local governments, addressing the issue is most effective at the municipal level. Municipalities have the most accurate overview of the apartment buildings in their territory, as well as information on development plans, spatial plans, connections to infrastructure, and other important aspects.

Furthermore, it is within the competence of local governments to address the social issues arising from the restructuring of vacant apartment buildings.

Assisting the remaining residents of mostly vacant buildings in relocating to more viable housing reduces the risk of further emptying of buildings and creates better conditions for the reconstruction of buildings in the future. Equally important is the prevention of hazardous situations that may arise due to the dilapidation of mostly vacant buildings.

A vacant apartment building is defined as a building with at least 18 apartments where more than half of the apartments are not inhabited, as well as smaller buildings where more than three-quarters of the apartments are vacant. An additional condition is that the reconstruction of the building is no longer technically or economically feasible.

The support funds can be used to cover the expenses of the municipality for the administration of projects, legal procedures, appraisals and expert assessments, acquisition of apartments, demolition of buildings, and provision of apartments for existing residents.

The amount of the grant can be up to 100 percent of the eligible costs of the project.