A large-scale multifunctional complex is planned near Vingis Park in Vilnius, already popularly nicknamed the “new Acropolis.” Although the project is presented as progressive and will supposedly redevelop an abandoned area, create jobs, and improve infrastructure, civil engineer and member of the Board of the Lithuanian Green Party Adas Paulius Paražinskas warns of serious dangers from both a legal and urbanistic point of view.
According to AP Paražinskas, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was not conducted for the project, although this is required by Lithuanian legislation.
"Even for much smaller projects it is mandatory, but in this case it is not. Why? Maybe because there is a "Acropolis Group", which belongs to "Vilniaus Prekyba", and the head of this group is the richest man in Lithuania, Nerijus Numa", he reflects.
Another problem is the planned entrances to the shopping center from Geležinio Vilko Street. This is a fast-moving category A street, from which, according to the STR norms, such connections cannot be made. Also, such streets cannot be equipped with public transport within the red lines of stops or bicycle paths. However, the project provides for everything: entrances, stops, and sidewalks. Safety requirements are also ignored - for example, the absence of a dividing strip between traffic flows poses an accident risk, and too small distances between entrances do not meet the standards.
In addition, a car tunnel is planned under Geležinio Vilko Street, although the Vilnius Master Plan only allows for pedestrian and bicycle connections at this location. This is a fundamental violation of the principles of sustainable mobility.
"This is a clear primacy of business aspirations over public interest. An intervention of this scale in the city will generate additional car traffic, emissions, and degradation of the recreational environment," warns Paražinskas.
The construction process, he said, also raises questions about transparency. The project was approved despite the comments made, and the terms of reference were signed by an official appointed without a competition and without the required qualifications.
"When I contacted the Building Inspectorate, I received a response based only on the designers' explanations. The prosecutor's office refused to investigate, and the court did not even begin to hear the case," he comments.
According to AP Paražinskas, urban planning cannot be focused solely on commercial goals.
"City infrastructure must be planned for people, not as a service scheme for business. The "New Acropolis" is just a profit project that imposes social and ecological costs on city residents," he argues.
His proposal is to halt the project until all legal and planning errors are corrected and an environmental impact assessment is completed.
"Vilnius must not become a place where the law applies only to the weaker. We must ensure that the rule of law, ecological resilience and social justice prevail in urban planning," concluded Adas Paulius Paražinskas.
