"Rigas pasazieru terminals" wants to build hotels and banks on Riga Passenger Port territory
Riga Passenger Port^apostrofs;s new development project has been amended for construction of commercial facilities on the port^apostrofs;s rental territory, as Valerijs Barjers, director of the port territory^apostrofs;s leaseholder "Rigas pasazieru terminals Ltd." (Riga Passenger Terminal, RPT), told LETA.
Riga Passenger Port's new development project has been amended for construction of commercial facilities on the port's rental territory, as Valerijs Barjers, director of the port territory's leaseholder "Rigas pasazieru terminals Ltd." (Riga Passenger Terminal, RPT), told LETA.
The new project stipulates that adjacent to the port's building and wharves will be private homes, hotels, stores, banks and parking lots.
The project is being developed by a Norwegian company, which has already participated in several port development projects in Europe and the United States, Barjers said. The project will be ready on July 15 and will then be submitted to the Riga City Council.
Riga Free Port's board member Gints Celmins, who represents the Finance Ministry at the port, told LETA that according to the project, commercial facilities would occupy 90 percent of the passenger port's territory leased out to the company.
Celmins believes that such a project is unacceptable because the territory is being leased out to RPT only for construction of port facilities - wharves, roads and other buildings, not commercial facilities. Besides, RPT's initial business plan only stipulated construction of facilities linked with the port's operations. According to Celmins, this is the reason why the port's board did not even review the company's new project.
Barjers said in turn that Celmins was not an expert who could say what should be constructed at the port and what should be not.
Barjers pledges that port infrastructure facilities will be raised first, and commercial buildings will be considered only after this. Construction of commercial facilities might cost LVL 100-150 million. The money would be ensured by both loans and investments.
Celmins, however, doubts that the company could attract such money because Latvia's banks will not issue such large loans.
The board of the Riga Free Port decided last December to underwrite a loan of up to LVL 12 million that RPT would be taken out in "Parex Bank". RPT was also granted the right to lease the Riga Passenger Port's territory next to Riga's Old Town for a period of 30 years. No tender was held for the right to lease the area. The loan for RPT was meant for reconstruction of the passenger port and wharves.
Riga Jurisdiction Prosecutor's Office then turned to Ziemelu District Court claiming that the Riga Free Port's guarantee over the LVL 12 million loan for RPT be revoked.
Ansis Pupols LETA
Copyright © LETA
The new project stipulates that adjacent to the port's building and wharves will be private homes, hotels, stores, banks and parking lots.
The project is being developed by a Norwegian company, which has already participated in several port development projects in Europe and the United States, Barjers said. The project will be ready on July 15 and will then be submitted to the Riga City Council.
Riga Free Port's board member Gints Celmins, who represents the Finance Ministry at the port, told LETA that according to the project, commercial facilities would occupy 90 percent of the passenger port's territory leased out to the company.
Celmins believes that such a project is unacceptable because the territory is being leased out to RPT only for construction of port facilities - wharves, roads and other buildings, not commercial facilities. Besides, RPT's initial business plan only stipulated construction of facilities linked with the port's operations. According to Celmins, this is the reason why the port's board did not even review the company's new project.
Barjers said in turn that Celmins was not an expert who could say what should be constructed at the port and what should be not.
Barjers pledges that port infrastructure facilities will be raised first, and commercial buildings will be considered only after this. Construction of commercial facilities might cost LVL 100-150 million. The money would be ensured by both loans and investments.
Celmins, however, doubts that the company could attract such money because Latvia's banks will not issue such large loans.
The board of the Riga Free Port decided last December to underwrite a loan of up to LVL 12 million that RPT would be taken out in "Parex Bank". RPT was also granted the right to lease the Riga Passenger Port's territory next to Riga's Old Town for a period of 30 years. No tender was held for the right to lease the area. The loan for RPT was meant for reconstruction of the passenger port and wharves.
Riga Jurisdiction Prosecutor's Office then turned to Ziemelu District Court claiming that the Riga Free Port's guarantee over the LVL 12 million loan for RPT be revoked.
Ansis Pupols LETA
Copyright © LETA
