Residents of three buildings near the 9-year-old “Emin Duraku” school in the former Bllok are concerned about the construction project of a 16-story tower. They are organizing to legally oppose the project, despite the investor saying that everything is being done according to the rules.
"We are looking at the possibilities of striking both administratively and civilly at the construction permit," lawyer Redon Meksi, who is legally representing the residents, told Citizens.al.
The lawyer said that the community of the area is currently awaiting requests that have been sent to institutions to fully clarify the matter.
The project was conceived by the architecture studio “Focus Architecture” and is being developed by “A&E Development” of entrepreneurs Gentian Parruca and Fatjon Alliu. It envisages four underground floors and a total of about 10 thousand square meters of construction rising up to 57.24 meters in height.
The building utilizes 980 square meters of land, which until a few weeks ago was used as a private parking lot, further limiting the space between the three existing buildings and the school.
Entrepreneur Parruca told Citizens that the project does not harm anyone, as the distances are in accordance with the law.
"With the buildings we are at a distance of 10 to 23 meters. In Albania, buildings are built even next to the foundations, there is no problem," Parruca said, guaranteeing safety for the works.
Parruca said that he had had discussions with the residents and that he had explained this approach to the guarantee to them. However, this does not seem to have calmed the residents, some of whom are also parents with their children at the “Emin Duraku” school.
The proximity of the construction to the school premises is another concern for them, as it could put the lives of students at risk and also harm the quality of teaching due to noise and a significant increase in pollution.
Residents said they have conveyed this concern to the Minister of Education, Ogerta Manastirliu, as well as to Prime Minister Edi Rama, the latter as chairman of the National Territorial Council, who granted the permit to the company "A&E Development" on May 29, 2024.
"This project has received approval in an unusual way, while similar requests for the same plot of land have been previously rejected precisely because of its proximity to the school and the three surrounding buildings." quoted in a public letter addressed to residents.
Based on this, they are demanding the cessation of works, legal verification of the project, cancellation of the construction permit, and an administrative and criminal investigation into the parties involved in approving the permit.
The area near the “Emin Duraku” school has experienced significant urban alienation. The two existing 4-story buildings lost space between them in the early 2000s when another 8-story building was built next to them, while private enterprises further narrowed the surrounding public spaces.
The A&E Development project further limits that little remaining space.
The government's intervention with permission for towers over 9 floors in the former Block is an approach beyond the norm established in the General Local Plan of the Municipality of Tirana, an approach which has been analyzed by Citizens.al in the "Vertical Tirana" column.
Currently, in the entire former Block, there are at least 12 towers that have been granted permission in recent years through such legal bypasses beyond the idea of development intended by the municipality.
The organization of residents near the "Emin Duraku" school to oppose construction projects approved without public consultation is the second such case in a few days.
Recently, the residents of "Myslym Shyri" filed a lawsuit against the reconstruction of the "TEN" multifunctional center by the Municipality of Tirana.
Read also:
- 16-storey tower behind the “Emin Duraku” school
- The exception became the norm, the towers in the former block break the criteria of the Urban Plan
He completed his master's studies in the department of Journalism and Communication Sciences at the University of Tirana. She has been reporting for more than four years in Citizens.al on issues of culture, urban development, feminism, etc. She is also a contributor to other local and foreign online media, and has worked in the editing of various materials. She is the author of the podcast "Pezull" on Citizens.al and is engaged as a coordinator of projects related to the empowerment of young journalists and migration issues.
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