In Kyiv, developers are growing concerned about the groundless cancellation of construction permits. “Based on specific cases of our association’s members, we see that one unjustified signature or silence of an official can stop the implementation of a multi-billion dollar project. And there are many such cases,” says Yevhen Favorov, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Association of Developers.
One of the most problematic challenges is the delay by the Cabinet of Ministers in adopting a resolution on the procedure for determining the boundaries and regimes of use of protected cultural heritage zones. Because of this, it is impossible to form a single and transparent set of restrictions for urban planning conditions.
As a result, each development project is considered “manually”, and developers face risks: from delays to legal appeals of already issued permits. According to estimates by representatives of construction companies, Kyiv loses over $500 million in investments every year.
“We must honestly admit: the main barrier is chaos, unsystematicity and the lack of a consistent regulatory policy. Developers still work in an environment where no permit guarantees the implementation of the project. And any agency can change the rules after the start. The instability of the rules of the game is one of the main factors that restrains the market and destroys trust. If the state issues a permit, it must guarantee that this document will not be canceled without reason in a year,” says Yevhen Favorov.
The process of adopting the resolution has formally begun. In May 2025, a draft of the relevant resolution of the CMU was published on the website of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine. The Cabinet of Ministers accepted comments and proposals until June 20, 2025. However, there is currently no public information about the results of the discussion and the current status of the project.
Experts emphasize the need to approve and implement the resolution as soon as possible. They emphasize: transparent and understandable rules, digitization of data in land cadastres, and adoption of necessary resolutions will pave the way for new investments in the capital.
