The Parliament of Georgia considered in the I reading the draft Spatial Planning, Architectural and Construction Activities Code, which aims to clarify regulations related to certain construction works carried out on cultural heritage sites and within cultural heritage protection zones located within the administrative boundaries of the Municipality of Tbilisi.

According to the presenter, Levan Machavariani, First Deputy Chair of the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, under the current legislation, if construction is carried out within a cultural heritage protection zone or work is undertaken on an immovable cultural heritage monument within the administrative boundaries of Tbilisi, and the construction permit has expired while the construction or rehabilitation remains incomplete, or if unauthorized construction has been carried out, the administrative body responsible for public construction supervision grants the violator a 90-day period to obtain the necessary consent/permit or to remedy the violation.

According to Levan Machavariani, this period may be extended by up to one additional month. The relief measure applies only where the increased area of a new building or structure, or the additional area resulting from the expansion of an existing building or structure, does not exceed 10 square meters.

At the same time, the draft law establishes an exception under which this restriction will not apply to construction carried out for the replacement of unsafe buildings and structures and/or within the framework of urban development measures, provided that such construction is implemented by the Tbilisi City Hall or a legal entity established by the municipality.

The Parliament adopted the draft law on amendments to the Code in the I reading with 76 votes in favor.