According to the Mayor of Riga Nil Ushakov, one of the largest parks in Latvia’s capital will be set up on the territory of a former landfill on Augusta Deglava Street. It is planned to set up a playground and the largest picnic zone in the country there.

Landscaping work has been continuing since 2014 on the territory of the former landfill. Specialists have already artificially created a 36-metre-tall hill, one of the highest points in the capital, on 20 ha territory.

«This project was co-financed with money from the European Union. The goal of the project is to clean up the environment. Additional requirements also state it will be prohibited to carry out construction of any kind on this territory for the next several years. With that, the mountain will remain inaccessible for skiing for some time. Nevertheless, residents will be provided with long-distance skiing tracks in winter. A playground and Latvia’s largest picnic zone will be set up in summer,» – said Ushakov.

Re-cultivation of the landfill began in October 2014. The territory was cleared of trees and bushes in order to carry waste from the territory more easily. More than 800,000 m3 of waste was transported from the landfill. This waste was compressed and made into the 36-m-tall mountain.

After the frame of the mountain was finished, it was covered with a 50-cm-thick layer of anti-filtration clay and a 20-cm-thick layer of fertile ground. The territory around the mountain was cleared of waste and covered in a 15-cm-thick layer of fertile ground. By the end of 2015, specialists plan to create 19.3 ha of clean territory.

In accordance with regulations, following completion of the project this territory will not be allowed to be used for activities of any kind for the next five years. After five years, however, it will be allowed to be used for leisure, recreation and active sports.

It is planned to finish all construction by the end of October. The territory will be submitted as completed by 1 December.

Development of Deglava Street’s landfill re-cultivation project is carried out by SCO Centrs. Construction work is carried out by Merks and construction supervision – by Geo Consultants.

The total budget of the project is EUR 8.38 million – half is provided by Riga City Council and the other half – by European Union Cohesion Fund.

Ref: 102.109.109.4894