Mayor satisified with planned location of new Estonian Defense Forces base in Narva
The site has been selected for the location of the Estonian Defense Force's (EDF) Narva base. As most of the land chosen belongs to the City of Narva, the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (RKIK) is requesting that the city cede it to the state.
The planned Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) base, which will cost around €15 million and accommodate up to 1,000 soldiers, will be located in the Kadastiku industrial area on the outskirts of Narva.
"I think it's a good location. There are no large residential buildings, school building or kindergartens nearby. That was the biggest fear of the people of Narva, that the military base would be built where people live," said Narva Mayor Katri Raik.
According to Ando Voogma, portfolio manager for the RKIK's northeastern sector, the chosen location was the most suitable for the EDF and no alternatives have been considered. There are also no plans to expand the base in the future.
"We have proposed to the Narva city government that the future base be located there, as it is the most suitable location and size for the new military facility," Voogma said.
The selected area consists of three properties – two owned by the City of Narva and one by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. The RKIK has proposed that the owners change the purpose of the properties to national defense land.
"The process ahead is a long one. In the city's master plan, which is currently in the final stages, the future military base will, I hope, become defense land. This decision will have to be approved by Narva City Council. After that, the council will need to decide whether to transfer the city-owned land to the state, sell it to the state or simply exchange it. There will certainly be some interesting discussions in the run-up to the elections. So I believe this process will take a fair few months, if not a year," Raik said.
Everything is at the planning stage of the process at the moment, but if all goes well, construction will start next year and we could be moving in by 2027. We want to thank Narva Municipality for their constructive cooperation in planning the new military base. Nevertheless, it is worth bearing in mind that we will only be able to talk about the location of the base in concrete terms once all the necessary decisions have been made," said Voogma.
Among other things, the base will include accommodation, catering, staff and sports facilities for the members of the EDF, as well as all the necessary technical maintenance facilities.
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Editor: Michael Cole,
