Lviv Mayor Raises Alarm Over Construction in the Historical Part of the City.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi believes that the historical part of the city is under threat. The reason for this was a court decision that overturned the historical and architectural plan of Lviv, which was supposed to limit the construction of high-rise buildings in the city center

What is this plan

The Historical and Architectural Reference Plan of Lviv is a basic urban planning document, the main goal of which is to preserve the historical parts of the city from destruction and development. The plan considers objects of cultural and architectural heritage, zones included in the UNESCO World Heritage and its buffer zones, historical monuments, landscape elements, and more. Among other things, it determines the permissible height of new buildings.

The city authorities of Lviv were obliged to develop this plan before 2019. However, the boundaries of the historical area of the city, which are part of the plan, were approved only at the end of 2021. At the beginning of 2024, the Ministry of Culture approved the historical and architectural plan.

Who the plan interfered with

As it became known from the court decision, which was reviewed by BBC Ukraine, the plaintiff in this case is the construction company LLC "New-Trading Lviv". Company representatives appealed to the court with a request to declare unlawful the historical and architectural plan of Lviv approved by the Ministry of Culture. They stated that the plan significantly restricted development opportunities on the plot they rent, and these restrictions do not comply with urban planning documentation.

The plot in question in the court case is located at Lipynskoho-Verbova 15. On it, the company "New-Trading Lviv" plans to build a 25-story office building. However, the company claims that according to Lviv's zoning plan from 2015, there are no height restrictions specifically on this plot. This was also an argument for the court, which decided to annul the plan.

What Lviv City Hall says

On Sunday, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi sharply stated that he would appeal the court's decision to preserve Lviv's historical heritage. "We do not intend to retreat because the truth is on our side. Our duty is to preserve Lviv's historical heritage," he wrote on social media. The mayor was also outraged that neither the Ministry of Culture nor the Lviv City Council had a chance to publicly defend their position. If the struggle through the judicial system is ineffective, Sadovyi promises to resort to more radical actions. "If we have to lie under the crane to stop construction, there will be warm tea and a barrel with fire. We will not disappear," he wrote. The Lviv City Administration told BBC Ukraine that the company "New-Trading Lviv" did not apply for a construction permit