Another stadium with a tower?/ Construction companies join "Selman Stërmasi" and "Asllan Rusi"

2024-09-08 20:19:00, Aktualitet CNA

Another stadium with a tower?/ Construction companies join "Selman

The area around "Selman Stërmas" in Tirana, part of which is the sports field next to it as part of the stadium annex, is one of the few spaces in the capital that does not feel the shadow of high towers and the aggressive intervention of concrete. Despite some construction, still around the stadium, the wide streets have been preserved according to the original project, while the sports field remains intact, keeping alive the hope that one day it can return to its first function for training athletes.

But it seems that this panorama will change soon. The builders, who in this public space see a plot of land where you can make millions of euros in profits, seem to have closed the deal in the municipality of Tirana.

Another stadium with a tower?/ Construction companies join "Selman

A document obtained by Lapsi.al shows that the municipality and the government are ready to pave the way for concreting, the construction of towers and buildings, even forgiving thousands of meters of public land, as part of what it calls "the revitalization project of the Selman Stërmasi stadium".

The project is detailed in a document that is expected to be sent to the Municipal Council of Tirana for approval. This document proposes the transfer of properties from the municipality of Tirana to the Albanian Investment Corporation, which has found a builder who is ready to invest for the "Selman Stërmasi" stadium and the "Asllan Rusi" sports hall in exchange for free land in the most expensive areas of Tirana.

The public property that is paid for in both sports spaces will serve for the construction of towers or multi-storey buildings that include shops and businesses. At least at the Selman Stërmasi stadium, it is probably the most expensive area of ??Tirana, the value of which is almost 3 thousand euros per square meter.

Another stadium with a tower?/ Construction companies join "Selman

The chances are that we will have another stadium with a tower, but in the case of Selman Stërmas, the construction can be done in the field next to the stadium, which, not by chance, has been neglected to turn into an annex of mud and bushes.

Exactly this degradation of the stadium "Selman Stërmasi" and the sports palace "Asllan Rusi" is mentioned as a justification for giving the land to the private person in the document provided by Lapsi.al.

"The "Selman Stërmasi" Stadium and the "Asllan Rusi" Hand Games Palace are outdated and degraded structures that present the need for significant investments," the document reads.

Meanwhile, the Municipality has started work and has carried out the measurements for both projects, still without receiving the approval of the Municipal Council. It turns out that the Selman Stërmasi stadium has a total of 27,000 square meters of space, while the "Asllan Rusi" stadium has about 14,000 square meters. It is understood that only one part will be for construction.

"The location of this facility is in a very favorable area in the center of Tirana, creating premises for the creation of partnerships necessary for the realization of the investment project without expenses on the part of the Municipality of Tirana, but with numerous economic and social benefits for the community , based on a "win-win" business model is written in the document.

The Albanian Investment Corporation admits that the project envisages "the development and revitalization of this space by turning it into a multifunctional center".

Where the revivalists use the language of "revitalization" and the establishment of a "multifunctional center", it means the next tower that in this case will be erected on public land. The chances are that this will happen in the field next to the stadium, which is part of the annex.

The renaissance flirtation with construction companies being given public land started years ago. With the same formula, the "Qemal Stafa" stadium was also rebuilt, while in various areas of Tirana, the municipality and the government have regularly forgiven public land for construction companies, taking in exchange some offices.

Likewise, the socialists attempted to rebuild the National Theater when the Fusha company was granted the land according to a project that provided for the construction of the theater with a tower, based on a special law.

The law was withdrawn after protests, which could not stop the demolition of the theater or the forgiveness of the land for the construction of the tower behind it. /Lapsi.al