The developers that intend to build a multifunctional center near the Circus will not affect the integrity of the territory of the Church “Saint Emperors Constantine and Helen” that is situated nearby, as persons who oppose the construction assert. The National Council of Historical Monuments approved the project and its chairman Iurie Povar said the building lot is privately owned.
In a news conference at IPN, Iurie Povar explained the Council’s position on the project to build the multifunctional center, as regards the urban, architectural and technical aspects. “The territory proposed for building the complex is privately owned and there are residential buildings, houses there that are in a state of ruin and cannot be now used,” he stated.
Iurie Povar noted the location of the complex does not affect the territorial integrity of the church that was included in the Register of State Protected Monuments. The church and the cemetery will remain on that territory. The first building of the complex is to be erected at a distance of about 70 meters. There is thus no danger of a negative impact.
Ion Ștefăniță, deputy chairman of the National Council of Historical Monuments, said he voted for the project after he analyzed things in retrospect, from historical viewpoint, and in accordance with the current situation, the way in which he would like the city to look like in the future. He also took into account the foreign experience, especially of the Romanian colleagues, and this made him have a balanced view between the property interests and the economic ones, which bring money into the budget for pensions and salaries.
Ion Ștefăniță reminded that the church from near the Circus was erected in 1777. Since then the city has developed. Until the second half of the 19th century, over 60 buildings that are now historical and architectural monuments appeared on the administrative map. In the interwar period, over 40 buildings were constructed in the historical nucleus of the city. In time, the plan to restructure the city was modified and new boulevards were planned. After 1949, the municipal authorities have analyzed the opportunity of approving a new plan. In 1951, there was approved a new General Urban Development Plan, which aimed to develop the historical nucleus on the vertical, with five-story buildings. After 1971, buildings with nine to 24 stories appeared. In 2007, the authorities approved the General Urban Development until 2025.
Ion Ștefăniță said the subject should be now discussed based on arguments, not from barricades. He analyzed the proposed concept and the maps, comparing them with the local urban development regulations, and determined that the business entity can develop the detailed urban plan that will be proposed by the Urban Council and the Chisinau Municipal Council.
On February 3, members of the Civic Congress Party mounted a protest against the construction of the aforementioned complex. The several dozen protesters said that a campaign to destroy the historical monuments of the capital city is planned to be carried out in Chisinau. The protesters asked for a meeting with acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi and demanded that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research should annul its decision by which the current composition of the National Council of Historical Monuments was confirmed.
