TASS, August 16. More than 7,200 people have filed applications for land plots since the Hectare in Arctic program started on August 1, 2021, the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic told TASS.

The interest to land plots is different in various regions - three in four applications have been filed with three north-western regions. Noteworthy, in the Krasnoyarsk Region the program has just started. Over the program’s first year, authorities have suggested some improvements: for example, the State Duma during the autumn session plans to eye certain amendments, which the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and Arctic has supported, to ease certain formalities.

"As for the land plots in the Russian Arctic zone, the authorities have received more than 7,200 applications for hectares. <…> More than 3,500 people have received their hectares already. The total area of the allocated land is more than 2,600 hectares," the Corporation told TASS.

Situation in regions

According to the data from the Corporation, the leaders in the number of applications in the Russian European part are the Murmansk, Karelia and Arkhangelsk regions - about 6,300 applications (including cancelled applications). According to the Murmansk Region’s Property Relations Ministry, over the program’s first year, the regional authorities have received more than 4,500 applications, and almost 2,000 applications have been processed already. About 400 applications have come from people, living in Moscow and the Moscow Region, in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, in the Chelyabinsk, Kirov, Rostov, Tambov, Novosibirsk, Karelia, Tatarstan, Khakassiya and North Ossetia regions.

The harsh climate conditions in the Yamalo-Nenets Region have not stopped residents from other regions: about ten applications have come from Omsk, Tyumen and Yekaterinburg, deputy speaker of region’s legislation Alexey Sitnikov said. More than 300 people have received land plots, the regional government told TASS.

A deputy of the Krasnoyarsk Region’s legislation, Sergey Sizonenko, told TASS about certain "flaws" in the program’s implementation. For example, he said, the region has "missed, unfortunately, the beneficial period for the local residents." The Krasnoyarsk Region has allocated 2,500 hectares for the program. Taimyr’s Dolgan-Nenets Municipal District’s authority, the key district in the program, told TASS they are not receiving documents as yet.

"I understand, the plots are still undergoing certain formalities, thus they do not receive applications as yet," the legislator said, adding the region in May only decided on what plots to allocate. On the Taimyr Peninsula, the plots are located in Dudinka and Ust-Port.

Houses and tourist camps

According to the Corporation, about 42% of the people under the Far Eastern Hectare program and the Arctic Hectare program plan to use the plots to build family houses. The Arctic authorities say another popular purpose of taking the hectares is to develop family farms and gardens.

In spring, 2021, Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexey Chekunov said the program would boost businesses in the Far East and the Arctic. The Corporation says most businesses, that have received plots, plan to develop tourism and agriculture projects.

The Arkhangelsk Region’s Ministry of Property Relations told TASS an applicant plans to build a year-round tourism complex in Krasnaya Gorka. In the Murmansk Region, four program participants have received the governor’s grants to develop tourism. The Corporation has told TASS, a local resident, Ilya Denisov, has opened a tourism camping in Karelia near the scenic Lake Urosozero. He has built cottages for tourists, a pier for boats. According to the businessman, he already has welcomed guests from across Russia’s European part.

In Usinsk (the Komi Region), a businessman wants to grow fish, the regional property and land authority told TASS. He hopes to receive financial incentives from the regional agriculture authority later on to develop the aquaculture business.

How program will change

The Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic told TASS the State Duma during the upcoming session will discuss amendments, composed jointly with the Ministry for Development of the Far East and Arctic, related to procedures of the Far Eastern Hectare and the Arctic Hectare programs. The amendments are aimed at easier procedures to allocate and use the land plots.

"A key novella is to remove the provisions, which hinder building of individual houses on territories lacking urban planning regulations," the Corporation said. As the territories do not have land exploitation and construction regulations, the hectares’ owners are unable to receive documents from the officials, who claim this collision complies with the Construction Code’s rules. The reviewed law will regulate relations to solve this problem.

The Nenets Autonomous Region, in its turn, has initiated a federal bill, according to which local residents must have exclusive rights to apply for a hectare, the regional administration’s press service told TASS. This right must be available within six months after new territories join the program.

The Arkhangelsk Region’s authorities suggest offering special development conditions of the areas, where at least 20 plots are taken. The region has sent to the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and Arctic documents on such areas to have them put on the registrar of agglomerations, so that they could apply for federal incentives.