In its push to renovate the ageing Soviet housing stock, the Lithuanian Environment Ministry may propose demolishing apartment blocks that are in poor condition.
"If you live in a dilapidated building where nobody wants to put their money in, sooner or later it will become a social ghetto, either dilapidated or collapsing. We need a mechanism that allows all residents to rebuild together," said Environment Minister Simonas Gentvilas.
There are over 5,000 Soviet apartment blocks in Vilnius alone, but only a few have been renovated so far.
According to Kęstutis Vanagas, head of the YIT Lietuva construction firm, “insulating [walls] or replacing the windows will not solve the issue of parking lots, will not increase the number of staircases, and will not create lifts”.
“If a five-storey building was demolished, I would build a nine-storey building and a parking lot somewhere nearby,” he added.
To look into the issue, the Environment Ministry plans to commission a feasibility study, drawing advice of Western European experts.
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But examples from elsewhere in Europe may not be suitable, as the mass-built apartment blocks there are usually owned by the municipality, according to Liutauras Nekrošius, associate dean of the architecture faculty at the Vilnius Tech university.
“The absolute majority [of Soviet-era apartments] are privately owned. When we talk about demolition, we should first of all talk about buying them back. Otherwise, the chances that all the inhabitants of the building will unanimously agree to sell their apartments in order to demolish the apartment building and build a new one are very low,” Nekrošius said.
Vilnius officials also maintain that renovating remains the most feasible option.
“It is much cheaper to renovate houses,” said Vilnius Deputy Mayor Valdas Benkunskas. “It is simply unjustifiable to start thinking about whether we are doing a good job when we are almost 20 years into the state’s renovation programme.”
Following the feasibility study, the Environment Ministry plans to present to the Lithuanian parliament Seimas a new draft law on the reconstruction of old apartment blocks. The results are expected next year.
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