The new construction in the area of St. Sophia and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is unacceptable, - Ministry of Culture

The new construction is not allowed

This is stated in the relevant statement of the Ministry, published on their website, UKRINFORM reports.

"The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine considers unacceptable any actions of state authorities, including the judiciary, that will contribute to illegal construction in the protected area of the UNESCO World Heritage Site - St Sophia of Kyiv and Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Volodymyrsky Uzviz is within its limits, " the statement said.

The Ministry's lawyers are studying the decision of the sixth administrative court of appeal, which on May 26 ordered the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture of the KSCA to provide Etrex LLC (Director Yu.Nesteruk, beneficial owner D. Buriak) urban planning conditions for the design of a hotel and entertainment complex on Volodymyrsky Uzviz, 6 in Podolsk district of Kyiv. They will closely monitor the further progress of this case.

"Please note that such construction will be considered illegal without prior approval of the historical and architectural reference plan of Kyiv and the appropriate permission of the Ministry," the Ministry added.

Putting Ukrainian monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage List is very important for the formation of a positive international image of our country and the development of tourism. Taking this into account, the Ministry calls on all interested parties to take the issue of preserving cultural heritage in Kyiv and Ukraine as a whole as responsibly as possible.

As previously reported, the Ministry increased the buffer zone of Kyiv's world heritage sites up to 100 hectares. Now it includes full Khreshchatyk street, Independence square; full Prorizna street, Andriyivskyy Uzviv; St Volodymyr Hill; the slopes of the Dnieper River; the Park of Fame; the Museum of the Second World War.

The buffer zone is divided into nine parts. Each of them defines where you can build, as well as the height of new buildings. The maximum building height in the buffer zone is 34 meters. The buffer zones were approved by the Ministry on 31 January 2020 and sent to UNESCO.

At one time, the Sophia of Kyiv and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra were included in the list of UNESCO sites without a buffer zone.