The City Development Department of Riga City Council in cooperation with one of the leading urban planning companies SIA Grupa93, and assisted by Law Firm Eversheds Sutherland Bitans has developed, and Riga City Council has brought up for public discussion a first version of the Riga city spatial plan for the years 2019-2030. This document will regulate the development and usage of Riga territory for the next 12 years and will determine the opportunities and restrictions of development of different territories of the city of Riga.
The Eversheds Sutherland Bitans real estate team provided legal assistance for the development of the new spatial plan. The assistance provided by our team included creation of a legal framework for the development of the Riga spatial plan, analysis of the most significant legal risks, participation in development of the methodology for evaluation of proposals submitted during the public discussion, and daily legal assistance by participating in working group meetings and ensuring that the draft plan complies with the existing detailed regulation on the use and development of municipal territories.
 
The development of a spatial plan in any municipality is a major challenge for its developers, taking into consideration the wide range of stakeholders and involved parties. It particularly concerns the spatial plan of Riga, taking into account the size of the territory, the population, as well as extensive social and economic activities in the city. The process of development of the Riga spatial plan until the year 2030 was already started in 2012. Since then, a series of research and opinion summaries has been completed, and various thematic plans for solving specific planning issues have been developed.
However, the work on the spatial plan is still far from being complete. Now the crucial stage will follow - involvement of the public and hearing of opinions, evaluation of the submitted proposals and incorporation of those that contribute to the sustainable and balanced development of Riga. Therefore, everyone is encouraged to take an active part in the public discussion and to give their input in order to improve the city planning.

The Eversheds Sutherland Bitans team involved in the project is led by the partner, attorney at law Ilze Kramina and assistant attorney at law Zanda Zaluma.