The moratorium on the demolition of shopping pavilions in St. Petersburg is going to be extended until the end of 2021. This was announced on February 19 by Boris Titov, Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Entrepreneurs in Russia, after a meeting with the Governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov.
Titov pointed to the "huge difficulties" faced by the business of the Northern capital in the pandemic.
“Some restrictions are still in effect, but we see how quickly they are removed. Faster than in other regions of Russia. Today we walked around the city, everything works. Have not seen any closed restaurants. Moreover, in many places there is a record, today they did not want to put us to breakfast without preliminary reservation,”Titov complained.
In his opinion, "the economy is breathing," but "there are still many problems." Titov recalled that the average turnover in Russia and St. Petersburg fell by about 30%. In this connection, entrepreneurs need to provide targeted assistance.
“We know that due to the pandemic in St. Petersburg, a part of large investment projects has slowed down, they need to be taken out of this state. But another large part of the city's economy is associated with trade, including non-stationary ones. In the current conditions, it is necessary to slightly reduce programs to "clear the city", to demolish these booths and pavilions. Therefore, we agreed to extend the moratorium on the demolition of non-stationary shopping facilities until the end of 2021. If there is absolutely some serious technical problem - like high voltage cables over the object, then the issues will be resolved individually,”Titov said.
At a meeting with Beglov, he also noted that the forced restrictions due to the pandemic prevented the alignment of the limiting parameters of non-stationary shopping facilities (NTO) with the requirements of the St. transport highways of the city, within the red lines of which the placement of NTO is prohibited.
Titov recalled the existence of a draft law on non-stationary trade objects, which the ombudsman's institute had developed together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade. In his opinion, simultaneously with the annual moratorium on dismantling the NTO, it is necessary to work out a clear regulation for the provision of compensation places, regardless of what type of agreement was concluded with the owner - a lease agreement or a placement agreement.
