On Nov. 8, a group of 30 activists held a protest against the construction of a new hotel complex to be built on the historic Andriyivskyi Uzviz in Kyiv.
Protesters say the complex, consisting of a hotel, parking lot and restaurant, will mar the landscape, block the view of the magnificent St. Andrew’s Church and violate construction requirements. The developers say they are doing everything legally and have court orders and permits to back them up.
Olha Rutkovska, the co-chair of public organization The Community of Andriyivsky Uzviz Street, said that the courts were not adequately protecting the local community and that the people there had to resort to direct action. Rutkovska mentioned that on Oct. 29 the Kyiv Judicial Circuit Court quashed all previous decisions of Kyiv city authorities and allowed all construction.
The Kyiv City Council on June 21 recommended that the KADORR Group, the general contractor owned by Kyiv Post publisher Adnan Kivan, suspend construction. It also suggested that Markon Private Enterprise, the owner of the project, to change its construction plans in accordance with the heights of the adjacent traditional buildings.
Without changes, the city council would cancel the land lease agreement with Markon. The court decision did not refer to the June 21 Kyiv City Council action. The council also wanted a security fence around the construction site to be removed.
But the court ordered no interference in the operation of the building crane at the site on 14-16 Andriyivsky Uzviz.
Protesters blamed Odesa-based KADORR Group for destroying Kyiv’s historical face. One of the speakers at the protest claimed that a KADORR-owned shopping mall in downtown Odesa ruined the architectural heritage of the city. Serhiy Brygadyr, a protester and curator of the scientific-educational center Transformer, told KADORR owner Kivan to pack his luggage and move to his native Syria.
Svitlana Tsvyk, a lawyer for KADORR, told the Kyiv Post that the company left the project in June by terminating joint activities and general contractor agreements with Markon, which had developed the hotel project since 2010. Tsvyk said some protesters were genuinely concerned about the historic heritage while others were motivated to damage KADORR’s reputation. Representatives of KADORR recognized some of these activists at its other building sites, in particular, a high-rise residential and office complex under construction on 68 Zhylyanska Street in Kyiv.
Markon company director Valeriy Pavlyuk confirmed that his firm was the project owner and the landholder and said that KADORR group left the project, along with two other investors in the last eight years. He said investors have soured on the project because of the illegal actions of the city and activists in trying to block the legal construction.
In 2005, Markon legally obtained the land plot for construction of a hotel complex joined with a restaurant and underground parking. All the project documents were obtained and the construction permit received in 2010. The permit is valid until completion of the project. The construction started in 2010, said Pavlyuk.
The project went through all the approving stages, including public discussions in the local community, which was approved by the Podil District State Administration. Pavlyuk adds that, contrary to the assertions of the activists, his project does not destroy Castle Mountain (Zamkova Hora) on Andriyivskyi Uzviz, but instead reinforces it with more than 500 concrete piles.
He agrees with protesters that nearby streets are in danger of landslides, but believes that the project will make Zamkova Hora, Frolivska Street and Andriyivsky Uzviz Street safer by constructing a wall of pillars that will prevent the land from sliding.
Rutkovska claimed that the cultural heritage will be ruined by the construction that will exceed three stories in height. The contractor, however, insists that the construction requirements will be respected and the building will grow in a cascade manner with the façade facing the street staying within the regulations. The building is supposed to rise closer to Frolivska Street.
Differing interpretations of construction rules and heritage preservation requirements fuel the dispute. New standards put in place recently cannot be applied retroactively to this project.
Protesters plan to take down a security fence protecting the construction site at 10 a.m. on Nov. 9.
Read more about the controversial hotel construction site on Andriyivskyi Uzviz here.
