Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law lifting area restrictions on the construction of facilities on forest plots provided for recreational activities. Changes are made to Art. 41 of the Forest Code.
Lawyers explained how the new law will work.
What restrictions have been lifted
The new law removes space restrictions on the construction of running and cycling paths, ski slopes, as well as sports and children’s playgrounds in the forests.
“Before the adoption of the law, the construction, reconstruction and operation of bicycle and jogging paths, the construction of non-permanent buildings not related to the creation of forest infrastructure, was allowed on a part of the territory provided for recreational activities of a forest area of no more than 1 hectare. The new law abolishes the requirement for a maximum area for such routes of no more than a hectare,” said Vyacheslav Klimov, a lawyer at the Asterisk law firm.
Why is a new law needed?
New recreation areas are being created in Russia, some of which adjoin directly to forests, and innovation is necessary so that they can be landscaped. “The established recommended parameters for the construction of such facilities before the adoption of the law did not fit into the requirements for up to 1 hectare. For example, for a ski run, the recommended width is 3 m and the average length is 5 km. The width of pedestrian paths is at least 2 m, bicycle paths are from 2.5 to 3.6 m. Accordingly, their average area is 4 hectares,” said lawyer Oksana Grikevich.
Thus, the new law will allow the construction of public capital construction facilities for recreational purposes of a larger area, Grikevich noted. According to her, according to the law, these include children’s playgrounds, facilities for sports and sports recreation, public services (rental services, general health services, photo services, services of coaches and instructors) with engineering and technical support systems.
What is forbidden to build
The new law still completely prohibits the construction of housing, hotels, apartments and other residential buildings on forest plots, said a lawyer from the law firm Asterisk. She noted that, despite the permission to build tracks and paths on an area of more than a hectare, their construction is possible only in areas not occupied by forest plantations. Thus, the law does not promote deforestation, Grikevich believes.