Kazan residents are assured that construction of cableway will not harm nature
The city authorities believe that there is no reason to worry about the environment in the construction area of the facility
Public discussions are underway in Kazan on the project of a passenger cable car that will be stretched over the Kazanka River. Comments are accepted until November 8, some have already been received from concerned citizens. Kazan residents believe that the construction of a cable car in the protected area of natural monuments may threaten the ecosystem of the reservoir and pollute the environment. What the city authorities answered, what project the developers have prepared and when the facility will begin to be built — read the details in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
Three-station cableway
The construction of the Aeromost city cable car, consisting of two sections and three stations, began in Kazan on October 10. The route of the line will consist of three stops: Gorky Central Park, Uram, and Sportivnaya.
The cable car includes:
- line A with a length of 1.7 km — from Sportivnaya station to Uram station;
- Line B is 1.2 km long — from Uram to Gorky Central Park.
The cable car will pass through Gorky Park, cross Podluzhnaya Street and the Millennium Bridge, as well as the waters of the Kazan Bay of the Kuibyshev Reservoir.
- Gorky Central Park and Recreation Centre station will be located on Nikolay Yershov St., the site area will be 8,000 square metres;
- Uram station — on Podluzhnaya Street, area — 7,000 square metres;
- Sportivnaya station — on Chistopolskaya street, area — 51,000 square metres.
The total area of land plots for supports will be 400 square metres. The length of the cable car is 2.9 kilometres. The project has already received a positive conclusion from the historical and cultural expertise. The works are planned to be carried out in winter to minimise the negative impact on the ecosystem.
Threat to cultural monuments and the environment
Residents of the city have questions about the construction of a cable car in the protected area of the monument “Russian-German Switzerland Urochishche”. They made several comments during public discussions, pointing out that further construction could cause environmental problems for the environment, as well as change the historical appearance of Kazan's natural monuments.
However, the city authorities assured that there is no cause for concern. According to their response, the construction of a cable car will not cause problems for the environment: “The projected facilities of the Kazan city Aeromost cable car, which are supposed to be located within the protected area of the Russian-German Switzerland nature monument, do not affect the territory of the natural monument, and their construction and operation will not have any impact on it," the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Executive Committee of Kazan, which organised discussions, stated.
The documentation also indicates that the implementation of the project, on the contrary, corresponds to the main objectives of the natural monument: the development of ecological tourism and recreational activities.
But Kazan residents are also concerned about the construction in the water area of the Kuibyshev reservoir. In their opinion, the appearance of new objects in the riverbed and the protective zone of the river can lead to pollution of fresh water and deterioration of living conditions in the water area. Residents claim that the project violates their rights and threatens the ecosystem and also believe that the funds allocated for construction could be used for social needs of the city, such as the construction of new schools and kindergartens or the completion of the new subway line.
In turn, the organiser of the discussion of the project stated that the planned facilities do not affect the Kazanka riverbed and are located in shallow water, which is flooded only during the spring flood. According to him, the impact on local flora and fauna will be minimal and localised, and all necessary measures to prevent pollution of reservoirs will be taken.
Kazan residents are most concerned that the Aeromost cable car project falls 60% into the protected area of an object of special natural value, established by the decree of rais of the republic Rustam Minnikhanov dated September 15, 2021. In accordance with paragraph 7 of this decree, any activities harmful to natural complexes, including construction and earthworks, are prohibited in the protected area.
Nevertheless, the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of Kazan stressed that the construction can be carried out in coordination with the State Committee of Tatarstan for Biological Resources. Preliminary approval for the placement of facilities was received back in December 2022. The design materials indicate that the construction of the cable car will not violate the hydrological regime and water quality, as well as will not affect the habitats of rare species of plants and animals, officials assure.
14 years of planning and 3 billion rubles for one project
The volume of investments in the project will amount to 3 billion rubles, 120 workers will be involved in the construction. The cable car will pass through the park area of Russian-German Switzerland, which will require 2.9 hectares of land. Rustam Minnikhanov, the rais of Tatarstan, stressed that the project had been discussed for a long time, it would increase the tourist attractiveness of the city. The Kazan authorities supported the initiative, considering it important for the development of the region.
Plans for the construction of the cableway were discussed back in 2020. The executive committee of Kazan informed Realnoe Vremya that the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the city is working on new additional options for tracing the cable car.
Earlier it was reported that the project of another cable car — from Kazan to Verkhny Uslon, first announced in the early 2010s, and then in 2020 — remained unrealised, and even became the reason for filing bankruptcy lawsuits by one of the initiators. More more in the material of Realnoe Vremya.