"The meeting took place in a closed written proceeding. Neither the Ministry of Culture nor the Lviv City Council had the opportunity to publicly defend their position. We are preparing a cassation and have no intention of backing down, as the truth is on our side. It is our duty to preserve the historical heritage of Lviv for future generations of Lviv residents, not for developers," – he wrote.
According to the mayor, this decision indicates that Ukraine needs "a quality judicial reform." He believes that all decisions concerning communities "should be made and discussed in a public process."
"Unfortunately, today publicity is our only protection and hope for justice. Despite all the decisions in the world, we will not allow the historical heritage of Lviv to be destroyed! This heritage belongs to Ukraine and the world! We will do everything in accordance with the Constitution, because the source of power is the people. If we have to lie under a crane to stop construction, there will be warm tea and a barrel with a fire. We won't be lost," – he added.
Sadovyy reported in October that the company "New-Trading Lviv" wants to build a 25-story building in Lviv, and the "historical and architectural support plan is a thorn in the side" for the firm. "Therefore, they filed a lawsuit in the Kyiv District Administrative Court, which, in a closed session, canceled an important document for Lviv without even hearing the position of the city," – wrote the mayor.
The first instance decision, as reported by "BBC News Ukraine", has not come into effect due to appeals filed by the Lviv City Council and the Ministry of Culture.
According to the broadcaster, "New-Trading Lviv" wants to construct a 25-story office building on a plot located at Lipynskoho-Verbovoho Street, 15. Sadovyy noted that this concerns a historical area of the city.
"BBC News Ukraine" has access to the ruling of the appellate court, which was made in favor of the company.
"The construction of the high-rise was hindered by the historical and architectural support plan of Lviv, as it includes height restrictions for new buildings. However, the company claims that, according to Lviv's zoning plan from 2015, there are no height restrictions on this particular plot. This became the argument for the court that made the decision to cancel the plan," – the article states.
The Ministry of Culture's arguments were not taken into account by the court, and it denied the Lviv City Council's request to participate in the case, the media added.