Tallinn City Government and the Tallinn Urban Planning Department have put out for public consultation four preliminary plans for the Old Harbour area, which are open for comments until 12 January. There will also be an outdoor public exhibition next to the Admiralty Bridge, showing the nature of the plans and the proposed buildings.

According to Deputy Mayor Madle Lippus, the city's priority is to open up the seafront to form a whole with the city center. "We want the sea to be highly visible in the city and the public space there to be a pleasant place to spend time for both residents and visitors. This is an important part of Tallinn's city center, where the urban space needs to be exciting and with outstanding architecture," said Lippus. "Now is the moment for everyone to have a say in how the Old Port area will look in the future."

The development of the Old Harbour area aims to transform the formerly closed harbor area into an attractive and family-friendly place, where public space is combined with the functions of the harbor and where both passengers and local residents are welcome to spend time

According to District Governor Monika Haukanõmm, the port is one of the gateways to the capital, where tourists arrive and form their first impressions of Tallinn. "I believe that no one will mind if the seaside wastelands disappear and the cityscape becomes more beautiful. But we also value the opinion and feedback of residents and businesses, so that we can find solutions that satisfy all parties, if necessary," said Haukanõmm. 

The solutions and the preliminary draft positions of the plans for the northern part of the Old Harbour, the area of Passenger Terminal A and the cruise terminal, the area around the Admiralty Basin and the area around Terminal D have been submitted for public consultation. The plans, which are being prepared by K-Projekt AS on behalf of Port of Tallinn AS, are based on the winning entry of the architectural competition for the design of the Old Port area, which was organized in 2017 and prepared by Zaha Hadid Architects, London.

Valdo Kalm, Chairman of the Board of the Port of Tallinn, noted that the publication of draft detailed plans is important for community involvement and input into the implementation of the Old Port plan and real estate development objectives. "The real estate developments in the Old Port area will have a significant impact on both the expected future revenues of the Port of Tallinn and the creation of a user-friendly and attractive urban space in the area. We hope that after the detailed planning process following the publication of the outline plans and their adoption, we will soon be able to start concrete developments in these areas," said Kalm. 

The draft plan for the northern part of the Old Harbour envisages that the area will be in active use, with a variety of uses: commercial buildings, commercial buildings with residential units, and buildings with a public function, such as museums, art galleries and concert halls. The outline master plan for the cruise terminal and the cruise terminal area includes a new cruise quay, the A-Terminal complex and a public square in front of it. To open up the urban space to the sea, a promenade for pedestrians is proposed, connecting the Reidi Highway with the cruise terminal's roof promenade and the Northwest Pier. The outline master plan for the Admiralty Basin area envisages a marina with a central square in the Old Harbour area, framed by a yacht club and commercial buildings. The draft plan for Terminal D and the surrounding area envisages a pedestrian promenade through the harbor area with new residential and commercial buildings and a primary school on the Reidi tee 12 property. 

During the public consultation, residents may submit their comments on the basic positions and draft solutions of the detailed plans to the Tallinn City Government by emailing at [email protected]  or by post (Nunne 18, 15058 Tallinn). The deadline for comments is 12 January 2023. 

A public hearing presenting the results of the public consultation will be held on 31 January 2023 at 2 pm  in the Tallinn City Hall (Nunne 18). To take part in the consultation via MS Teams, please register by sending an e-mail to [email protected].