Taking of the land for the public needs in Klaipėda district

Abstract

Society development and economic necessity for the economic growth determine the use of land for the public needs. These requirements reflect the public interest, and the state by performing its functions obligates to assure and meet them. In Lithuania, most of the land to be used for societal needs is in the urbanized territories or near them. When city boundaries expand and activity scope in the city centers grows, it leads to the higher demand of engineering networks and areas of common use. To protect cities from traffic overflow, bypasses are constructed. Other land is necessary for construction of buildings of economical and social purpose, development of cemeteries, exploitation of minerals, construction of pipelines, electrical networks and other communications. Objects that require approval from state institutions to use land for the public needs are specifically determined in the Law on Land of the Republic of Lithuania. The implementation of the regulations of this law causes most problems related to consistency of private land owners’ interests and public (social) interests. By carrying out researches, territorial planning documents were analyzed, based on which the land plots are taken for the public needs in the Klaipėda district. There are projects for the development of the Klaipėda Free Economic Zone, construction of the Palanga Bypass and building a high voltage electrical power line. This contribution reviews the course of this process and related problems and offers modifications that should facilitate the organizational procedures of taking the land and accelerate the process itself.