Kubrakov revealed who will benefit from the adoption of the urban development reform

The adoption of the urban development reform (draft law No. 5655) will allow local authorities to have everything they need to stop illegal constructions. Moreover, there will be accountability for silent approvals of 'ghost' buildings that will never be put into operation or connected to power grids.

This was reported by 'RBC-Ukraine' referring to a column by the Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, the Minister for Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov for NV.

'In particular, No. 5655 provides additional powers to local self-governing bodies. Along with the powers, they receive a procedure for dealing with illegal construction, how to act with such an object, and how to stop it. Now, no one can say: sorry, we have an illegal building being constructed in the central part of the city, and we cannot stop it because we have no power. That's it. There are powers, there are tools, there is accountability. And the issue of acquiring housing in illegal constructions will become a thing of the past,' explains the minister.

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Additionally, according to him, the draft law creates conditions under which cities will not be able to do without a general plan. Its absence allowed unscrupulous officials to grant construction permits anywhere.

He also noted that dozens of meetings were held with relevant public organizations, industry experts, and representatives of the international community from the first to the second reading.

'We consider the reform of the urban development sector to be revolutionary. Everything that is currently happening on paper will happen in one IT system; every action or inaction of a participant in the construction process will be recorded in the system. And this is what both developers and local officials are afraid of,' summarizes Kubrakov.

The Verkhovna Rada supported the draft law 'On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Reforming the Urban Development Sphere' in the first reading on July 1, 2021. The authors of the document proposed amendments to six codes and 21 laws. They hope that the adoption of the draft law will not only reduce corruption risks and enhance publicity and transparency in this area but also clearly define the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of construction participants.

On December 1, 2022, the draft law was withdrawn from the parliament’s consideration. Its revision was insisted upon by the Association of Cities of Ukraine, mayors of cities, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, and the National Union of Architects of Ukraine.

On December 13, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the draft law as a whole. 228 deputies voted for it.