At the end of November last year, the Tallinn City Government approved a detailed plan that envisions the construction of the Rävala Gallery commercial and business quarter, replacing the current Melon Shopping Center and an office building. The plan includes a street that will connect two boulevards by running through the quarter.

However, residents of Kaubamaja 4 are unhappy with the plans and challenged the detailed zoning in the Tallinn Administrative Court.

Specifically, the residents opposed the business building planned for the site of the current Melon Shopping Center. The height of the building's seven-story section would be 40 meters, while the five-story section would reach 33 meters. These structures would be situated in the courtyard of the quarter, right in front of the windows of Kaubamaja 4.

The windows of the upper floors of the apartment building are located lower than the tallest parts of the new structure. The 40-meter section would be about 45 meters away from the apartment building, while the 33-meter section would be only about 15 meters away.

The court ruled that the height and proximity of the five-story section would significantly reduce the view from the windows of three apartments involved in the complaint. The business building would obstruct the wide-open view, which, according to Supreme Court precedents, constitutes a decrease in the value of the apartment. Therefore, the court found that the planning solution excessively infringed on the property rights of these plaintiffs, providing grounds to uphold their complaint and annul the planning in regard to this part of the business building.

For several other plaintiffs, the court also noted a reduction in the view but concluded that their property rights were not excessively violated, as the seven-story section would be located sufficiently far from their windows.

While direct sunlight, or insolation, would be reduced in some apartments at Kaubamaja 4, analyses showed that it would remain within permitted limits.

The decision made on September 25 has not yet come into force and can be appealed within 30 days.

The Rävala Gallery is planned based on a design by KOKO Architects, which won an architectural competition. The quarter will have a gross area exceeding 67,000 square meters, featuring service, retail, office spaces and a hotel. In addition to the buildings, the developer plans to create a covered inner street between Rävala and Estonia boulevards, along with landscaped squares, an outdoor café and a fountain.

The owner of Rävala Gallery is Go Group.

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