Putin signs law on monument protection zones

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into a law a proposal to create protection zones around “cultural heritage“ monuments.

The new law prohibits construction close to “objects of cultural heritage” and “architectural ensembles”, denoting groups of buildings whose architecture is designed to form a unified whole.

The radius of the protection zones is between 100 — 200 metres, depending on the type of monument and its location. The boundaries of the zones may be changed on the advice of historical or cultural experts.

There are, however, exceptions to the implementation of the new law. It will not, for example, apply to objects of archaeological heritage, cemeteries, burial sites or works of monumental art. Existing structures near historic sites will not be impacted by the rules, and it will not affect any construction permits obtained prior to the implementation of the new regulation.

Source: Afisha (in Russian)