Ukraine: Citizens Do Not Need Town-Planning Information

On January 13, 2011, the Supreme Rada of the Ukraine adopted the law “On Regulation of Town-Planning”. According to glavnoe.ua, the new law fully excludes any public control of town-planning.

To fight corruption in the town-planning field is a declared goal of the new law. However, local councils are now deprived of the right to approve town-planning documents, and public hearings are mandatory only on Master Plans; up to now, government bodies were to inform citizens and to hold public hearings at all stages of planning and construction. Mandatory state expertise of town-planning projects and a number of necessary agreeing procedures are also cancelled now.

Experts believe that the new law violates the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.

Let us remind that the Ukrainian FOI law was adopted the same day – on January 13, 2011.