Taliya Minullina: ‘The economic situation is tense but investment projects are anyway implemented’

Investments in holiday

After some pause, the Tatarstan Investment Council resumed considering applications from private investors. However, they rush neither to Priority Socio-Economic Development Areas nor industrial parks — it seems nobody yet wants to make new products. Instead, great interest in recreation projects arose all of a sudden — improvement of different leisure sites in the republic. Most approved projects are precisely for holidaymakers’ life. Moreover, from a small to a large scale.

So head of World of Groups company Timur Yegorov got an approval to build Volga Village Medical Spa and Wellness Resort for 700 million rubles. Green Valley was given the green light to be provided land in Aysha settlement, Zelenodolsk District, Tatarstan. While For-Rest Glamp project in Verkhny Uslon municipality became the smallest. Damir Fakhrutdinov became its investor. First of all, the investments are assessed at 50 million rubles.

“These projects aren’t big but necessary,” head of TIDA Taliya Minullina commented on the results of the meeting of the Investment Council. “Most are in tourism, it is glamp and camp site projects, but there are urban environment transformation projects. If earlier the republic itself allocated resources for these purposes, but now it is investors’ private money. The sector is profitable, many people travel across the republic and Russia,” she explained. “As the economic situation is being tense, private investment projects are anyway implemented in the republic. I think we can consider some more till the end of the year.”

Projects on the territory of Kazan and adjacent districts were approved — in Zelenodolsk, Pestretsy, Verkhny Uslon, Kamskoye Ustye districts. This time only local investors became applicants.

For-Rest Glamp in front of island town of Sviyazhsk

Key preferences are related to the simplified order of providing land parcels. Most projects were approved to be received by investors without auction

“If they used to be unavailable, now attractive land parcels at a low price can be obtained,” the head of TIDA noted.

Manager of For-Rest Glamp project Ilya Spiridonov said that it was planned to build 20 houses in front of island town of Sviyazhsk. The project’s ideologist Damir Fakhrutdinov has been dreaming of creating a recreation site in wild for a long time.

“We have been looking for appropriate locations for 1,5-2 years and finally found it. The land is located on a picturesque bank of the Sviyaga River. The land was up for sale on Avito, we have bought it. Today we have asked to be given an adjacent land parcel without auction,” said Spiridonov.

It is planned to open the first stage with 10 houses by next summer. Now the company is using its own money, next year it intends to apply for a grant of the Russian Agency for Tourism for 15 million rubles.

The difficulty is that land is in a protected area, which imposes certain restrictions.

“We asked to agree on an inspection and organise the transition of this zone to Category Z2, which will allow implementing the project. This is temporary construction. People can be taken to the Sviyaga Hills ski resort from our zone,” said Ilya Spiridonov.

Car racing and new petrol stations

Drive Park motor racing complex will expand in Zelenodolsk District. Favourite Plus claimed the investments will total 70 million rubles. Now the investor has 2 ha, he is ready to buy another 23 ha without action. According to the project’s supervisor Aydar Galeyev, people under 9 can do sport here for free, those older have to pay a fee, 3,000 rubles a month. The racing centre is expanding to increase the length of the track to 17 km.

Also, Tatneft-AZS Centre got an approval to build a petrol station on the M7 highway. The planned budget amounts to 500 million rubles. The company will also build a module for LNG.

“These are very needed projects. It is good that camp sites appear, recreation areas with necessary infrastructure develop in our districts. It is necessary to work in this area. We have rich nature, many beautiful sites. It is necessary to create conditions so that people have a rest here in the republic, not go to other regions and countries,” noted Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov.