Court upholds Old Rauma zoning plan after rejecting appeals

Turku Administrative Court has upheld the zoning plan for Old Rauma, a UNESCO World Heritage site, rejecting eight appeals and declining to examine a ninth, Yle reports.

Nine appeals were filed against the plan amendment, challenging, among other things, how the plan was prepared and its preservation rules. The appellants included individuals, an association, companies and property companies.

Rauma City Council approved the amendment in March 2025. Some appellants argued that special provisions were not displayed in the same form as they appeared in the final decision. The court found that changes to the draft were minor and did not require the plan to be put on public display again.

The plan includes extensive protection for building interiors. Some appellants argued this infringed property rights, and questioned whether the interiors of about 600 buildings could be protected when not all had been individually surveyed. The court said they could, citing Old Rauma’s status as a World Heritage site. It said gaps in surveys of individual building interiors were not significant to the overall assessment.

The decision can be appealed only if the Supreme Administrative Court grants permission to appeal.