The planned residential areas will increase the population around Saue and Laagri by 8000 inhabitants

In the coming years, three large residential districts are planned to be developed on the western border of the city, near Tallinn, which will increase the population of Saue-Laagri by nearly 8000 people. The apartment blocks are planned to be up to one kilometer away from the railway, and it is expected that the new residents will primarily use trains for transportation.

According to the mayor of Saue, Andres Laisk, the area is planned as an urban region and he believes that the rapid increase in population could benefit the municipality.

“It is actually important to have a strong center in the local government because then it is possible to support the more sparsely populated areas, which are significantly more expensive to maintain than the central area. Another thing that is very important for attracting private sector services is various public interest services, which require a critical population density. Currently, there is no such center in Saue,” said Laisk.

Next to the current garden town of Saue, the developer Estera has planned 1200 apartments, 150 detached houses, and another 150 townhouses. The population of Saue will increase from 6000 to more than 10,000 people.

“Our main clientele would likely be young families who cannot afford an apartment of a suitable size in downtown Tallinn. Therefore, they need to look to the suburbs of Tallinn, where apartment prices are more reasonable,” said Estera’s project manager, Rain Koort.

He mentioned that the apartments are intended primarily for young people who are buying their first home, or for families who would need an extra room after having children.

According to Andres Laisk, a young family is rather a cost to the municipality for the first couple of decades because the local government has to ensure places in kindergartens and schools.

“In 20 years, this family will become taxpayers who will start funding services for the upcoming families. And in this sense, we must ensure that the municipality is always growing and developing, otherwise, we are talking about a dying environment,” said Laisk.

Professor Hannes Palang of Tallinn University believes it is not good when too many people gather in one place.

“In the context of Harju County, I would view it in the context of the Estonian state and it is not good at all that everyone gathers in one place. But on the other hand, I also see the logic behind why this is done and why the Estonian state does not want to implement regional policy. It’s cheaper to maintain, services are cheaper, everything is cheaper, and it seems our Excel-economy is heading in that direction too,” he said.

According to the human geographer, it is impossible to stop the concentration of the population in Harju County, but proper regional policy could help slow it down.

Link: https://www.err.ee/1609314045/planeeritavad-elamupiirkonnad-kasvatavad-saue-ja-laagri-umbrust-8000-elaniku-vorra

Source: “Aktuaalne kaamera”