Liepāja spa hotel continues legal swimming - regional court tosses like fisherman in storm

Liepāja's court system currently resembles our historic swimming facility - there's water everywhere, but nobody really knows if you're allowed to swim in it. What's happening? I. Ķempe is not satisfied that Lithuanian company "Liepojos kopos" wants to restore the old swimming facility and build a four-story spa complex next to it.

"In my opinion, this is not what they promised in the idea competition," says Ķempe, but the company and city council think otherwise. The situation is like on a tram - everyone's riding in the same direction, but each thinks the other is in the wrong car.

The Administrative District Court initially agreed with Ķempe, but the regional court decided otherwise in February. Now everything is in cassation again, and the judges are pondering whether to even hear this case. "Well, at least our lawyers have plenty of work," comments local café visitor Jānis. "While they're litigating, I'll keep swimming in the sea - at least there nobody asks for a building permit."

Meanwhile, the Lithuanian company patiently waits for when it can start construction. For comparison - in Riga such a project would be accepted or rejected within two years, but there, of course, they don't have our democratic spirit and careful evaluation traditions.

The only thing clear in this situation is that Liepāja's swimming facility continues to stand as a monument to bureaucratic endurance. But as our port workers say: "If a ship stays in port too long, it doesn't mean it's safe - maybe nobody just knows where to take it."