Lactalis wants to build a water supply system for its plant in Mykolaiv

Lactalis is requesting a hectare of land for a new pipeline: the city council is examining guarantees regarding road repairs. Photo: Pivdenna Pravda

In Mykolaiv, the Lactalis factory wants to build a pipeline for production needs, which will run through the city’s streets and roads.

This was discussed at a meeting of the Mykolaiv City Council’s Land Affairs Committee on 18 March, according to NikVesti.

The company has applied to the city council for permission to develop a land-use plan to establish a paid easement on a plot of land with an approximate area of 1 hectare. The new water pipeline is intended to connect the existing pumping station at 342 Yantarna Street with the plant’s production site at 2 Vynohradna Street.

As the route will pass through public land where roads and other infrastructure already exist, councillors raised concerns regarding the future restoration of the area.

In particular, the chair of the committee, Olena Nesterenko, asked exactly how the pipes would be laid — underground or by cutting up the asphalt — and who would be responsible for repairing the road surface once the work was completed.

«I understand, but we are applying for permission to lay the pipeline along existing streets. Do we need to consider how this will affect the existing infrastructure? The land is municipal, and we need to understand what will happen to the existing roads and amenities. Won’t we end up in a situation where, after construction, the city council will be forced to repair the infrastructure at its own expense?» said Olena Nesterenko.

The Land Management Department explained that the current Land Code does not require a detailed technical plan at the land allocation stage, and all approvals regarding construction will take place later.

«The technical details have not yet been finalised. The Land Code does not require the method of construction to be specified at the land-use planning stage — this will be dealt with by the developer during construction. There are existing roads and utilities there, and this will be taken into account during the construction approval process,» said Yurii Platonov, head of the Land Resources Department.

However, the councillor expressed concern that without clearly defined commitments, the city could be left with damaged roads, which would then have to be repaired using budget funds.

«The project will be expensive, and we cannot allow people to spend money only for us to then refuse approval. We need to understand how to establish their liability so that the city is not left to deal with road repairs and residents’ complaints on its own. Can this be stipulated at the urban planning stage or in legislation? I will look into this matter and discuss with the architect how to ensure that all infrastructure obligations are set out and fulfilled,» said Olena Nesterenko.

It is worth noting that the issue of modernising the plant’s utilities is not being raised for the first time. Back in December 2010, NikVesti reported that the management of «Lactalis-Mykolaiv» had invested in the construction of its own treatment facilities. At the time, this decision was a response to complaints from the regional authorities regarding the pollution of the city’s sewerage system by the plant’s industrial discharges.