Tallinn launches Song Festival Grounds area detailed plan
Tallinn has launched a detailed plan for the Song Festival Grounds and its surroundings to expand the site and add new buildings and facilities.
Tallinn Song Festival Grounds director Urmo Saareoja said that a public procurement to find the developer for the detailed plan will be announced soon.
The city's order launching the planning process stipulates that the area's high natural value must be preserved and its geologically significant limestone bluff highlighted.
Current landowners will be presented with concrete proposals for acquiring their plots for the city of Tallinn in order to expand the Song Festival Grounds.
The plan must also examine whether it is possible to create a parking area toward Mäe tänav, taking into account environmental restrictions and the impact on nearby homes. Any parking areas must blend into the landscape and be divided by trees.
In cooperation with the Tallinn Transport Department, the planning process will consider options for adding new vehicle access points from Narva maantee and Pirita tee.
The order also specifies that if a pedestrian bridge is designed over Narva maantee, it must be planned as a combined green bridge to allow small wildlife to move between green spaces.
The detailed plan must also take into account the proposed extension of the tram line along Narva maantee to the new Tallinn Hospital. In addition, room must be provided to widen Narva maantee to include cycling and walking paths alongside the tram line.
Building plots, roads, parking areas and utility networks cannot be placed within the root protection zones of preserved trees. Although the proposed food service area partly overlaps with the protected Fahle Garden, any pavilion areas must be located outside the protected zone or each tree's conservation value assessed individually.
The plan also requires the design of a shelter.
Saareoja noted that there is still undeveloped land around the Song Festival Grounds and acquiring it would secure the site's boundaries against encroaching urban space. The development is to be carried out in stages to ensure sufficient funding and to make sure the plans are actually implemented.
The planned area covers 35.86 hectares.
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Editor: Karin Koppel, Marcus Turovski
