Landowners at several locations on Estonia’s long coastline have found their property become practically worthless, so far as potential building goes, due to new restrictions.
These restrictions can relate to nature conservation issues, and even to a rise in sea levels, “Aktuaalne kaamera” reported.
Depending on the region, building can take place no closer than 100 meters or 200 meters from the seashore, with the zone for lakes and rivers 50 meters.
While some experts say that a detailed plan made for a property is inviolable, something no one can take away from an owner the state and some of its agencies say this is not so; there is also a lack of clarity whether it is national or local government which has the right to decide on a landowner’s property.
There are around 15,000 shoreline properties in Estonia according to the most recent estimates. The Land and Spatial Development Board (Maa- ja Ruumiamet), formerly the Land Board, maps the shoreline every eight years, which in addition to human-built properties also sees changes in actual above sea-level land: The west coast has grown in land area, the north coast shrunk, which has an effect on land which can be built on, measured in cadastral units.
Read more: ERR.EE
