Heritage activists square off against former Georgian prime minister over hotel development in Tbilisi

A well-connected developer gets approval to build a fancy new shopping or hotel complex in an historically significant neighbourhood, prompting an angry response from heritage activists.

While this scenario will be familiar to anyone following recent news in Liverpool and Edinburgh, a more unlikely front in the battle between developers and conservationists has opened up in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia.

Approximately 400 activities reportedly gathered in Tbilisi's central square this weekend to demonstrate against the construction of a USD500 million hotel complex on the edge of the Old City. The development is being spearheaded by a company controlled by former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Tbilisi Historic District (credit: Dmitry Gerasimov*)

While the authorities claim that the development will promote tourism in Tbilisi, heritage activists counter that the development is ecologically unsustainable and will alter the character of the area to such an extent that it will effectively sink Georgia's longstanding bid - dating from 2007 - to have the historic district of Tbilisi recognized as a world heritage site.

While only time will tell whether the coalition fighting the development is successful in its effort to stop it, the conflict is already taking on a political dimension with questions being raised by the main opposition party regarding the appointment of some of Mr. Ivanishvili's former cronies at Tbilisi City Hall, where they may now be in a conflict of interest with respect to the approval process for the planned development.

* https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=450747