Another land scandal is brewing in Kyiv. We are talking about three plots in the Dniprovskyi district between Mykilsko-Slobodska Street and Brovarsky Avenue with a total area of 6.3 hectares, which can be sold for residential development.

The land plots are planned to be sold at an auction (October 23) by Oschadbank, to which they currently belong. We are talking about UAH 450 million – the starting price that the institution plans to receive from the sale.

What is known about the land plot

We are talking about the coastal strip of the Dnieper at 7-9 Mykilsko-Slobodska Street. At one time, the Ukrbud company tried to build up this tidbit of land, but received fierce resistance from local residents and activists.

The developer managed to build only two high-rise buildings closer to Brovarsky Avenue and make a small embankment near them. Already this spring, during the great flood, the water completely flooded the embankment and came close to the erected houses.

A plot that can be sold for construction. Photo: Oleg Symoz/Facebook

The flood also floods the plots that Oschadbank wants to sell. Now it is a partially abandoned green area on the banks of the Dnieper, because no one has been equipping it for many years, due to the threat of development. But locals use it for walks and recreation, with the hope that one day there will be a park here.

In 2015, the plots became the property of Oschadbank, and since then activists have been trying to return them to the city under the only park space "Nikolskaya Slobidka".

What do activists say?

It is known that in 2017 Oschadbank already tried to sell these lands, but then the activists managed to stop the auction. Now there is another attempt to sell the land, because it is still owned by the bank, and the city has done nothing to put an end to this story.

"The sites are included within the boundaries of the monument Historical Landscape of the Kiev Mountains and the valley of the Dnieper River, and new construction is prohibited in this part. Before the full-scale invasion, the Kyiv City Council planned to buy the plots to create a park, but the Kyiv City State Administration never fulfilled this decision," activist Olena Medvedenko writes on her social media page.

Other activists in the capital also oppose the possible sale of land. They have already appealed to the state authorities with a request to immediately respond and prevent the transfer of these lands into the private hands of developers. In addition, they promise to fight for land and organize protests, as was once the case with the previous developer.

Land plot to be sold / Photo: setam.net.ua

"We also warn that our community reserves the right to use absolutely all methods to counteract the development of plots, which, according to the functional purpose of the General Plan, is a public green zone, including protests of direct action," Oleh Symoz, a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a representative of the public organization "People's Power", said on his page on the social network.

What do they say in the Kyiv City State Administration?

The TSN.ua website sent an information request to the Kyiv City State Administration to clarify the situation regarding the actions of the authorities regarding the sale of more than six hectares of land near the Dnieper for construction.

The Kyiv City State Administration assured the journalist of the TSN.ua website that the city authorities will not allow the construction of plots on Nikolskaya Slobodka, which were put up for sale.

"In 2020-2021, the Kyiv City Council voted for the creation of the Mykilska Slobidka park, and for this purpose decided to buy out three plots with an area of more than 6 hectares. However, the owner, Oschadbank, did not agree. At the moment, Oschadbank has put up land plots for sale, so we draw the attention of potential investors – this territory can only be used as a green zone. The city is ready to assist in its arrangement and will protect the interests of the community," the Kyiv City State Administration said at the request of TSN.ua.

Land plot that they want to sell in Kyiv / Photo: setam.net.ua

They add that on behalf of the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, a draft decision on granting the plots on Mykilska Slobodka the status of a park was submitted to the Kyiv City Council for consideration.

What do the experts say?

Oleksandr Serhiyenko, director of the analytical and research center "City Institute", notes that the allocation of land for construction in Mykola Slobidka is completely illegal.

"First of all, it is a protective strip of the Dnipro River. At a distance of one hundred meters from the water, nothing can be built, except for water facilities. Secondly, it is a protected landscape area. These are the two main reasons that do not allow residential development there, of course, if we did everything according to the law. The developer, somehow, received this land, and Oschadbank, received them as collateral and the hectares were inherited by him," Oleksandr Sergienko told the TSN.ua website.

According to the expert, now the city authorities need to act within the law.

"If, according to the law, it is forbidden to build residential buildings on Nikolskaya Slobodka, then this should be clearly stated. And if someone wants to buy this land, let them buy it, but you can't build anything there. If the city aims to make a park on this territory, then it is necessary to settle all issues with the land. And only then, build a recreational area: a park, beach, or sports grounds, but do not put residential high-rise buildings near the water. The protective strip near the rivers exists for a reason. This is a living space for the river, because during the next flood, the water will flood this area again. Therefore, it should be remembered that if a person goes against the laws of nature, then it does not end well," explains Alexander Sergienko.

Recall that on August 13, in Kyiv, at 10-B Yaroslavska Street, the developer demolished a 200-year-old estate, which was an example of Kyiv residential wooden buildings of the nineteenth century.