Uzbekistan plans to permit the use of more than 46,000 apartments located on the first floors of multi-story buildings for commercial and service purposes without converting them to non-residential status. This was announced by the Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services, Sherzod Khidoyatov, following a meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on September 9.
"Today, according to our estimates, more than 46,000 apartments are located on the first floors. More than 200,000 people will be employed, and this will significantly affect household incomes," the minister said in an interview with the "Uzbekistan 24" TV channel. According to him, the president instructed to develop a new procedure that allows the use of first-floor apartments as small retail and service facilities without changing the premises' status to non-residential.
"That is, without converting the premises to non-residential, it will be possible to open a hairdresser, tailor shop, beauty salon, and other small service facilities. To do this, it is enough to create a separate entrance and adapt the interior," said Sherzod Khidoyatov. The meeting noted that currently, converting an apartment to non-residential status requires undergoing a number of procedures and obtaining permits. It is proposed to switch to a simpler procedure that allows entrepreneurial activity in first-floor apartments without changing the status of the premises.
It is planned to introduce a notification procedure for starting activities. Responsible agencies have been instructed to determine within a month the list of activities that can be carried out in such apartments, as well as safety requirements. According to the minister, the draft document is being prepared jointly with the Urbanization Committee, sanitary and other relevant agencies and will be submitted for consideration within a month.
Recall that Uzbekistan plans to identify vacant areas around multi-story buildings and regulate unauthorized occupied land plots. These areas are intended for children's and sports grounds, as well as green zones. Land plots for the construction of private schools and kindergartens may be auctioned with a starting price of 1 million soums.
Source: www.gazeta.uz