NOOR defended the interests of the Museum of Energy and Technology

The Court of Appeal has given the last word to Rinktinės investicijos, a company belonging to the Vičiūnai Group and responsible for the construction of the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel on Rinktinės Street. The court refused to allow changes to the decisions on the Energy and Technology Museum project in the neighbouring area and dismissed the lawsuit filed by Rinktinės investicijos against NOOR’s clients, the public institution Lithuanian Energy Museum and AB Vilniaus šilumos tinklai.

NOOR lawyers Giedrius Murauskas, Povilas Karlonas and Eglė Aleksiejeva defended the interests of the clients.

The public controversy over projects in each other’s neighbourhood came to court when the construction of the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel was halted due to the pandemic in 2020.

Rinktinės investicijos filed a lawsuit asking the court to recognise its role as co-builder of the entrance designed in the Energy and Technology Museum project. They also sought to amend the project decisions in a way that was completely unacceptable to the museum’s builder, the Lithuanian Energy Museum public institution. The applicant based its claims on the fact that it had an easement at the access point.

However, both the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal rejected Rinktinės investicijos’ claims and settled the dispute in favour of NOOR’s clients, explaining to the applicant that the easement was not a building permit that could entitle the applicant to build. The right to build is exercised by means of a building permit, which was granted only to the public institution Lithuanian Energy Museum.

Finally, the Court emphasised in its judgment that Rinktinės investicijos, by making such claims, was attempting to circumvent the procedures laid down by law for the issue of a building permit, i.e. the procedures for becoming a builder.