Translated material
Not one deed
Gazprom wanted to build two more skyscrapers-higher than the Lakhta Center, although he had not yet been put into operation. The appearance of St. Petersburg will finally destroy this: the opinion of the deputy
Photo: Maya Zhinkina / Kommersant
18+. This material (information) was produced, distributed and (or) sent by foreign agent Vishnevsky Boris Lazarevich or concerns the activities of the foreign agent Vishnevsky Boris Lazarevich
At the completed St. Petersburg Economic Forum, the city authorities signed an agreement with the Gazprom structure of Synergy JSC on the construction of two more skyscrapers next to the 462-meter Lakhta Center-555 and 703 meters, respectively.
Three years ago, Gazprom announced plans (who called, as the new, who called, sharp criticism of city-defenders and cultural heritage specialists) on the construction of one, 703-meter tower. Now the appetites have grown up, and next to the current Maskskreb (however, they were not put into operation six years after the construction of the construction), they want to build two more.
The mentioned “skyscraper” agreement in the presence of Governor Alexander Beglov was solemnly signed by the vice-governor of St. Petersburg Nikolai Linchenko and the general director of Synergy JSC Victoria Nenadyshina.
It is difficult for the vice-governor to assume that the vice-governor is difficult. And it definitely prohibits the planned construction.
And that's why.
The site for the construction of these skyscrapers, like Lakhta Center itself, is located at a distance of nine kilometers from the central part of St. Petersburg protected by the Panorama, protected by the law of St. Petersburg about the boundaries and regimes of the cultural heritage objects of January 19, 2009 (it is usually called law 820-7).
Appendix 1 “Valuable elements of the planning and landscape-compositional structure of St. Petersburg” for “regimes of land use within the boundaries of the combined zones of protection of cultural heritage facilities located in the territory of St. Petersburg”, approved by this law, says the following:
“In the historical center, panoramas, the main platforms and ways of their review are protected. The combinations of the components of the historical urban landscape with accents and dominants against the background of the sky are protected: for citywide dominant - up to 11 km, and for the main dominant - 6 km. ... Combinations of valuable components of the urban landscape with accents and dominants are protected, visually clearly perceived against the background of the sky within visibility of 6 km. Far planes located outside the visibility of 6 km should not reduce the compositional role of components of close plans. ”
Detailed citation of the law is important in order to make it clear: the new Gazprom plans do not fit into this law.
To date, the invasion of the 462-meter “Lakhta Center” built into the protected panorama from the path of viewing of the Palace Square is already obvious. Although, when he was conceived, they continuously lied to us that he supposedly “would not be visible” from the city center.
But he is perfectly visible from there in good weather - both from the palace embankment and from the arrows of the Vasilievsky Island.
If two more skyscrapers appear, which, like the Lakhta Center, will be citywide dominants, the distortion of objects protected by the panoramas of St. Petersburg and a decrease in the compositional role of objects such as the Peter and Paul Cathedral and Rostral columns (located on the arrow) will be even stronger. And the distance to them from protected panoramas, as already mentioned, is 9 kilometers - while the “security radius” is 11 kilometers.
But this is not all: distortion of panoramas contradicts the international obligations of the Russian Federation. The fact is that the regimes of the protection zones of cultural heritage of St. Petersburg are also considered as a buffer zone of the World Heritage Service. Consequently, violation of the regimes of protection zones in relation to the elements of the object violates the requirements for the protection of St. Petersburg as an object of the World Heritage.
In April 2017, the executive secretary of the UNESCO Affairs Commission Grigory Ordzhonikidze, taking into account the legal opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, sent an explanation to the St. Petersburg Committee for the Protection of Monuments - that the international obligations of the Russian Federation arising, in particular, from Article 6 of the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Heritage Heritage of 1972, are incorrectly, there are incorpoken the presence of the national legislation that is imperative (that is, they act regardless of whether they are reflected in Russian laws).
In 2019, the joint advisory mission of the UNESCO World Heritage Center and Ikomos found that the construction of the Lakhta Center, invading the protected panoramas of St. Petersburg, is damaged by the components of the World History Center “Historical Center of St. Petersburg and related groups of monuments”.
And there is no doubt that it is unacceptable to repeat and aggravate the already made mistakes and deprive the historical center of St. Petersburg of his “heavenly line”.
Petersburg is not a city of skyscrapers, it is precisely the “Heavenly Line” that is valued here, against which only the spiers of the cathedrals stand out, the ultra -highs only ugly.
I wrote about all this to Governor Alexander Beglov, urging him to revise the fundamental consent of the Government of St. Petersburg to build two new skyscrapers. Well, we do not need two more “gas screes” - from any side. I am waiting for an answer with interest.
We note one more circumstance: at whose account a banquet?
At one time, when Lakhta-Center was built, its cost was originally estimated at 60 billion rubles. Then she doubled - up to 121 billion rubles. And this is in prices until 2018.
Since then, everything has risen in price - materials, labor, transportation costs and many more. Yes, and two planned Maskskreb will be higher than the Lakhta Center. So the cost of construction may be already in the region of 500 billion rubles.
In our country, there is nowhere to put money, except for the next ambitions of the Gazprom leadership, who wants to see Petersburg at their feet? And do not about “money in a strange pocket”, he is not a stranger at all, but ours with you.
Because the money of Gazprom is not the personal money of its top managers, it was received from the sale of gas and oil, which are a common property.
For reference: Gazprom, according to the results of 2023, went to a loss, which amounted to 629 billion rubles. Against profit 1.23 trillion rubles. A year earlier. Before the 2008 crisis, Gazprom’s shares exceeded 300 rubles, which at the then rate was $ 12. Now these shares are 123 rubles, that is, 1 dollar 38 cents.
Marvelous? No, if the top management is engaged in frank manifestation instead of concern for the effectiveness of the company.
Three years ago, telling the “new” about these Napoleonic plans, I pointed out that money for the treatment of sick children is collected by SSMMS and a cap in a circle, millions of citizens have not enough for food, prices and tariffs are growing continuously - and then Gazprom is going to throw away new tens of billions of rubles to the new “tower”? Today it sounds even more relevant.
Only one thing calms: many agreements, solemnly signed at the St. Petersburg Forum, remain on paper, because they do not bind anyone to anything.
A year ago, after the previous forum, the vice-governor Nikolai Linchenko answered me to a request for an agreement signed on it with VTB Bank on the construction of high-speed highway No. 7, which threatens with tremendous damage to the specific park. The answer was enchanting:
"There are no obligations for the design or construction of the line No. 7 for the parties in connection with the agreement."
To the natural question - why sign what does not have legal significance? - There was no answer.
As for other agreements that are solemnly signed at the St. Petersburg Forum every year (after which the city authorities joyfully report multi -billion dollar amounts and unprecedented investments), not all of them are later implemented, being “frames”.
It is possible that with an agreement on the new "gas screes" everything will turn out in the same way. But you can’t lose vigilance.