The city of Toruń is preparing for an unprecedented investment. The construction of the first skyscraper, which will significantly change the skyline of the city, will soon start there. The project arouses much controversy because of its location. SKY CT, as the investment is to be called, is to stand in the Vineyard – an area covered by the Natura 2000 nature conservation programme. The decision on the building permit was signed by the mayor of the city, Paweł Gulewski.
The SKY CT skyscraper will reach almost 80 metres in height and will clearly tower over the city’s existing buildings. Although its project was controversial from the very beginning, especially among local socialists and environmentalists, the investment was eventually given the green light. As the magistrate explains, the law left no choice. “In a situation where the investor met all the requirements stipulated by the construction law, we had no grounds to refuse to issue a permit,” – explains Marcin Centkowski, spokesman for the mayor of Toruń. The lack of a decision in this case could have meant serious financial consequences for the city. As Centkowski adds, the municipality could be obliged to pay compensation, the amount of which could reach up to several hundred million zlotys.
The area where the SKY CT is to be built is located in a bend of the Vistula River near the bridge of gen. Elżbieta Zawacka and the flyover of mgr inż. Marek Sudak. This area is protected under the Natura 2000 programme, and it was this location that aroused the greatest emotions. Among those protesting against the investment was the Free Vineyard Association, which appealed to the city authorities to change the local zoning plan. However, the decision on environmental conditions showed that the planned construction would not adversely affect protected habitats and would not threaten local nature. This document, despite the objections, allowed the procedures to continue.
SKY CT is a project developed by GVD CT of Kielce. The company had already applied for planning permission in 2022. Although the permission was originally granted in 2023, this decision was overturned by the Kujawsko-Pomorski Voivode in early 2024. After correcting the formal deficiencies, the Department of Architecture and Construction reconsidered the application, which resulted in a new permit being issued by President Gulewski on 7 April 2025. The development will include three residential buildings, only one of which will reach a height of 79 metres. The other two are expected to be around 18 metres each. A total of 353 flats are to be located on the site.
Although the investment is a landmark for Toruń in terms of urban planning, it raises questions about the future of the city’s spatial policy and the role of public consultation in decision-making processes. For some, it is a step towards modernity and development, for others a loss of the city’s unique natural and landscape heritage.
Source: torun.pl
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