Actuality February 15, 2008

The prime minister

of Russia Zubkov called the minister of regional development Dmitriy Kozak to analyze the reasons which are the obstacle to approvement of schemes of territorial planning

at different levels. The head of the Cabinet reminded that actually federal, regional authorities and municipal unions disrupt the approvement of territorial planning documents.

Dmitriy Kozak did not to make excuses for his predecessor and explain, that he, as well as the whole cabinet of Zubkov, was given

not enough time to completely emerge from desolation the regional policy.

But the prime minister continued to set missions: transition to a new stage of regional policy and formation of new center of social and economic development have to be accomplished in the Volga region, Ural, the South of Russia, Siberia, and

in the Far East for the next years.

According to the prime minister, it should be aimed at guaranteeing of not formal, but the actual equality of subjects allowing each region to have necessary and sufficient resources for ensuring worthy conditions of life of Russians, complex development and diversification of territories' economy.

In any way, Kozak promised to finish the development of schemes of territorial planning

by 2010. Though, he noted that it will happen in that case if everybody works at the breaking point.

According to the Town-planning code that came into force in 2004, reservation and taking of lands for the state and municipal needs (for building of objects of the state infrastructure) is possible only if there are schemes of territorial planning.

The deadline of the approval of these schemes was postponed already twice.

Originally the Town-planning code assumed that they had to be approved by January 1, 2006, then this term was postponed

by 2008, and then by 2010.

“If today we do not assume additional measures, we won' t be able to do that by 2010. But those measures approved by the government today, allow to solve this problem at the breaking point”, said the minister.

“We simply have no right to leave this situation.

However, presently seven schemes of territorial planning of regions are approved at the regional level, 3 000 schemes of settlement planning

at municipal level. And only at federal level execution is still zero percent”, told Kozak, and noticed, that this work was not even started.

Kozak also disproved concerns that approvement of long-term schemes of territorial planning means the return to planned economy as it was in the USSR.

“Absolutely all countries with developed economy have done this work long time ago”, convinced the minister, and explained that the schemes of territorial planning represent the long-term plan for development of the state infrastructure.

“It is not the Soviet Union at all”, told Kozak. “We have to show to business, citizens, how we will develop that infrastructure that is in the zone of public authorities' responsibility. In general, business will get guidelines and tools for improvement of investment climate and formation of enterprising environment”.