Two years ago, there were more than 700 detailed spatial plans in Tallinn that had been initiated long ago but had stalled for various reasons.

Madle Lippus told ERR that the number has since been reduced to 376 and said it is realistic to expect that all remaining plans will be completed this year.

"If a plan was initiated in 2014, 2016 or 2018, but there has since been no contact with the applicant and no indication of interest, then it makes sense to stop the process rather than continue it," Lippus said. "There were a huge number of these — our planning register was full of them."

She noted that anyone could theoretically request to resume such plans, but doing so would be complicated because the urban planning principles behind them are now outdated.

Most recently, the city government terminated several long-dormant planning proceedings through an order issued in early April. One of these concerned a property at Tartu maantee 87, where Sikupilli Keskus OÜ applied in 2014 to initiate a plan to redevelop and expand the shopping center with a building section of up to 11 stories.

The city government launched the planning process at the end of 2015. Although a draft design was eventually put on public display and state agencies approved the detailed plan, it stalled during coordination with city departments. After receiving final comments in the summer of 2023, the plan was never resubmitted to the Urban Planning Department for further processing.

According to Lippus, the aim of clearing out inactive cases is to "clear the table" of projects that are no longer viable. If someone wants to build on one of these sites in the future, a new planning process will begin from scratch — making it simpler and faster.

"The other option, if the plan is still relevant, is to fast-track it to completion. In recent years, we've done that as well. One example is the plan for Rävala 8, the so-called architects' building. That process lasted around 20 years — maybe even longer," Lippus said.

News plans processed faster

Lippus said she couldn't say exactly why the planning process for that particular site had dragged on for so long but noted that such situations are burdensome for both applicants and city officials. For newly initiated plans, she said the city is trying to maintain a faster pace than in the past. To that end, it has implemented performance-based management, which allows the city government to keep a precise overview of how many plans are in progress and at what stage each one is.

"We're making sure our part of the work is done quickly and on time, but we also expect the same from developers — if we've started the process, the applicant needs to respond within the deadline," Lippus said. According to her, long delays are often caused by applicants receiving feedback from the city and then spending several years deliberating.

One site whose fate remains undecided lies in the heart of Tallinn, stretching from Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square) to the Vabamu Museum. Zoning currently only allows for one small building and the construction of an underground parking facility. The property is owned by Vjatšeslav Leedo and, according to Lippus, was at one point part of his bankruptcy estate. However, the city considered the asking price unreasonable.

"Our interest is in developing public functions there — extending the park, offering a variety of activities," the deputy mayor explained. While the city and Leedo have yet to reach a shared vision — and the price he's asked is, in the city's view, excessively high — Tallinn still hopes to find a compromise with the businessman.

Once an outdated planning process is formally terminated, what happens next depends on the landowner's wishes. A new planning procedure can be launched, but in some cases, the owner may decide that drafting a new detailed plan isn't necessary and that building permits can be pursued based on design specifications alone. According to Lippus, that is also a perfectly valid approach to developing the area.

"Old plans that have been gathering dust for years are harder to work with, but we're still trying to reach swift conclusions," said the deputy mayor. "If we decide to move forward, we'll see it through. But if it looks like there's no future in it, we'll close it down."

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