Inta's grandfather received ownership of a plot of land in the Riga district of Dārziņi after World War I. A family estate was built there. Inta has lived elsewhere for 30 years, but together with her sister and cousin, she still co-owns the plot, as told in the program "Bez Tabu" (TV3).
A concrete fence has been erected in the center of the family property. A building inspector from the municipality identified three cases of illegal construction near the hangars, as well as a large number of tires. By the middle of next year, the structures must either be legalized or demolished.
"During the Soviet era, a warehouse was built on our land. We are the landowners, while the owners of the warehouse are other people. The former owner of the hangars erected illegal structures, and now the Riga City Council is turning to us as landowners. We are the owners, but we do not have access to our land. During the Soviet Union, a concrete fence was built here. If we dismantle it — I don’t know what will happen. There are often activities behind this fence during the dark hours of the night," said Inta.
The family is currently looking for a way to sell the plot, but the hangars located on the land and the proximity of trucks make it unattractive to buyers.
"The entire volume of real estate needs to be developed here. There are also several unsold plots behind the hangars. They cannot be developed because there are warehouses here, which, according to the urban planning plan, should not be here," claims Inta.
A jurist explains that landowners and building owners have the right to negotiate a fee for land rental. If an agreement cannot be reached, as in Inta's case, the tenant is obliged to pay 4% of the cadastral value of the plot.
"If the landowner does not want structures belonging to another person on their land, they have virtually no options to influence their removal. These structures belong to another owner who has full rights to dispose of them. The only way to terminate such relationships is through a voluntary agreement between the parties," explained jurist Janis Berovskis.
The municipality points out that the hangars have been operating at this location since 1978, so it is no longer possible to prohibit their owners from continuing activities on this plot.
"The municipality does not assess the compliance of historical structures with modern regulations. Since the operation of the object has continued since 1978, its legality of construction is no longer reviewed. A small sea container was found between the containers, as well as a fuel tank with a pump. Information about the identified violation was forwarded to the Consumer Rights Protection Center, which is responsible for this issue," said Riga City Council representative Tatiana Smirnova.
At the beginning of the year, the municipality sent questions to the hangar owners regarding illegal construction on the plot, but after receiving no response, turned to the co-owners of the land.
Getting rid of the tenants who are forced to use the plot could be achieved by purchasing the hangars belonging to them; however, as the family admits, they do not have such funds.
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