Illegal construction and pollution persist at Zaķumuiža allotments

Unauthorized building and waste dumping have continued for years at the Sauleskalna dārzi allotment cooperative in Zaķumuiža, while residents say the municipality has not resolved their concerns, Latvian Television’s 4th Studio reported, according to LSM.

The allotments are in Ropaži Municipality, in a flood-prone area near the Lielā Jugla River. The cooperative has no access road of its own, and property owners reach their plots via land belonging to the Meijers family, residents said.

Disputes with the municipality began about three years ago, after flooding caused the road to collapse. Resident Jānis Meijers said the municipality declined to maintain or fund repairs because the road is private. Some 32 or 33 owners then asked the municipality to take over the road, but it refused, saying there were no important buildings there and that construction was not permitted in the flood-prone area.

Residents also allege that waste is being dumped along the riverbank strip, including roofing sheets, tyres and biological waste, and that fences have been erected there. They say the area floods.

Under the rules cited in the report, only small buildings of up to 25 square metres are allowed in flood-prone areas, and no construction is permitted within 10 metres of the riverbank.

In 2025, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development repeatedly asked the municipality for information about measures taken and planned at Sauleskalna dārzi. The ministry said it could not determine the legal status of individual buildings or order specific enforcement measures, as construction oversight is the municipality’s responsibility.

The municipality said it began various activities and correspondence with the co-owners in 2024.