A revived Ukrainian-era construction project threatens the Chekhov Museum in Yalta.
In Yalta, a controversial construction project dating back to the Ukrainian period, revived after receiving Russian permits, threatens the Chekhov House Museum , reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The slope between the House Museum and Lomonosov Lane gave way to the excavator's bucket . During the Ukrainian period, attempts had already been made to develop this area, and the excavation pit resulted in cracks in the wall of the writer's office. The prosecutor's office then intervened and demanded that the decision approving the urban development conditions and development restrictions on the land near the House Museum be overturned. However, the ground continued to shift, and in January 2019, the retaining wall holding the slope collapsed into the courtyard of the building below on Lomonosov Lane, trapping the residents' apartments.
Residents were temporarily relocated, and the city administration took over the restoration of the retaining wall. Before workers could even remove the scaffolding, the slope began to be cleared for construction.
"Lomonosov Lane is home to dozens of families living in older apartment buildings. In 2019, during a heavy rainstorm, a retaining wall collapsed, rupturing a gas pipe, water supply, and power lines. Residents were trapped in their apartments and evacuated by emergency services.
Construction recently resumed on the site, with trees being cleared and excavation work being carried out. We, residents of buildings No. 11 and No. 15, ask the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea not to approve construction on this landslide-prone site," the Yalta residents wrote in their appeal.
The designation of a federal landmark, "Chekhov's Yalta," was intended to limit construction in the area surrounding the memorial house. The protected zone, where any construction is prohibited, extends 200 meters from the monument. The Chekhov House Museum was the first protected cultural heritage site to receive this status.
However, as the development of Polikurovsky Hill demonstrated, landowners are not particularly respectful of conservation obligations : even before public approval and project review, the contractor began leveling the hillside for future construction. The work was carried out at night, with the expectation that the construction site would be ready by morning.
As residents of the houses below expected, rocks began to fall into their yards and groundwater began to leak. Yanina Pavlenko, head of the Yalta administration, who arrived the following day, merely stated that the owner had failed to keep his promise and had not waited for the results of the Investigative Committee's investigation into the legality of the land sale.
"Law enforcement is conducting an investigation into this property. We will await its results and do everything possible to return it to the city," Pavlenko assured.
The developer was given until the end of the week to remove the debris so it doesn't create pressure on the slope, reinforce it with a retaining wall at the bottom, drain groundwater, and suspend work pending the Investigative Committee's findings on the legality of the deal.
Further up the slope is a road and a memorial cemetery. Both are located on a landslide site, held in place by the roots of trees cut down by the developer . Moreover, the developer had no permit to demolish the greenery, including those listed in the Red Data Book: his main argument was private ownership of the 0,84-hectare plot.
A revived Ukrainian-era construction project threatens the Chekhov Museum in Yalta.