Amidst news that the Almaty hippodrome might be demolished to make way for yet another residential complex, a local woman asked the akim of Almaty, Yerbolat Dosayev, several questions during a meeting with him.
According to the Kazinform news agency, when asked whether the hippodrome could be returned to state ownership, Dosayev stated that this was not currently possible. The woman then asked whether the owners could demolish the hippodrome and build another residential complex in its place.
"No, we have secured it in the master plan, so there is no threat. If any of the landowners have stated that they want to do something, that does not mean it will happen. Everything will be within the law, in accordance with the master plan and the detailed planning plan," the akim assured.
For context, earlier, the organisers of a press conference titled "Protection of the Hippodrome as a Historical Architectural Monument" reported that there were plans to demolish the hippodrome in Almaty to build yet another residential complex.
The initiative group claimed that the complex's management was evicting tenants in order to hand over the site to a construction company for the development of a residential complex.