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Poltavchenko supports construction of skyscraper in St Petersburg

If this project does not evoke criticism from St. Petersburg residents and does not disrupt the image of the city’s historical centre

ST. PETERSBURG, August 31 (Itar-Tass) —— Georgy Poltavchenko will support the construction of a skyscraper in St. Petersburg, if this project does not evoke criticism from St. Petersburg residents and does not disrupt the image of the city’s historical centre.

“It seems to me that if it does not disrupt the architectural image of our city, anyway, its historical centre, the project is not bad at all. I do not see anything bad, if a super-modern building with the relevant infrastructure is built along with our Sea Fa·ade project. The most important thing is that the project does not evoke criticism from St. Petersburg residents and matches the St. Petersburg image,” Poltavchenko told reporters on Wednesday after he was approved as governor.

The construction project of a new multifunctional public and business centre of the Russian gas major Gazprom has been debated in the Russian northern capital already for several years. Gazprom initially planned to built the centre in the Krasnogvardeisky district of St. Petersburg on the bank of the Okhta River quite far from the St. Petersburg historical centre. Gazprom intended to invest 60 billion roubles in the project. The Okhta public and business centre was planned to build in three stages to be complete in 2016.

The Okhta Centre peak, which the British architectural practice RMJM developed to reach 396 meters, was expected to be built at the first stage. A quite remarkable architectural solution had an unequivocal attitude among St. Petersburg residents. The St. Petersburg governmental resolution, which permitted the deviation from the maximum height of the Okhta Centre and under which a plot of land, which Gazprom owned on the right bank of the Okhta River, was put up for sale, was cancelled in the previous year.

The investor intends to revive the British architectural project on 14 hectares in the Primorsky district of the city. The LSR group of companies purchased the plot of land to build the public and business centre. The Lakhta centre project is expected to be developed already on the basis of the current project. “The project will be revised substantially and adapted to a new location and the configuration of the plot of land,” the LSR source said. According to preliminary estimates, the adaptation of the current project to a new land plot will allow to halve the expenses of the investor as compared with the development of a new project. The skyscraper is agreed to reach 500 meters at a new place.

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