Municipalities have enough facilities that have not been used for a long time and are gradually falling into disrepair. In the conditions of a full-scale war, it is important to restore them and make them available for use by local or relocated businesses. This was discussed during an information session for the municipalities of Ternopil and Lviv oblasts.
We previously wrote about how U-LEAD with Europe experts help municipalities turn ownerless and abandoned properties into their assets. Now we are talking about other types of problematic objects. Volodymyr Vorobei, U-LEAD expert, listed them: these are post-industrial areas, cluttered land, destroyed structures, and abandoned buildings.
“Municipalities should prepare a plan to transform such objects into business development sites. If there is a worked-out plan, then you can proceed to the production of technical documentation or a technical and economic feasibility study. Of course, without a strategic vision and a roadmap for further development, it will not be possible to create a high-quality project,” Vorobei emphasised.
According to the expert, municipalities have several effective mechanisms for transforming such objects into the future-oriented spaces. Yes, local self-government bodies can sell property or lease it to an interested business. Own development projects or activities in partnership with business or municipality representatives are also possible.
The participants of the information session were presented with successful transformation cases, in particular the Centre of Carpathian Culture in Kosiv municipality and the Narrow Gauge Heritage Centre in Vyhoda municipality. Roksolana Martyniuk, head of the department of promotion, relations, and economic development of Kosiv town council of Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, shared her experience of creating the Centre of Carpathian Culture:
“The centre was built on the basis of a former carpet workshop, the premises of which had not been used as intended for a long time. In 2019, Kosiv municipality received a subvention from the state fund for the creation of the ‘Centre of Carpathian Culture’. Now, it is a multifunctional cultural and artistic space, thanks to which the historical and cultural heritage of the Carpathian region is preserved and popularised. During the war, part of the premises was provided for relocated businesses, which made the premises also a space for the development of entrepreneurship.”
Nataliia Onyshchuk, head of the U-LEAD regional office in Ternopil oblast, reminded that communal property objects that are not used for their intended purpose require maintenance costs. Therefore, it is very important that such premises and objects become a tool for attracting investments and creating spaces for the development of business environments.
