KYIV. July 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The pace of construction and assembly work in residential construction in Kyiv in the first quarter of 2019 fell, while construction in the region is growing, the head of the strategic consulting department at UTG, Kostiantyn Oliynyk, has said.

"In first quarter of 2019 we see some decrease in the pace of construction and assembly work in Kyiv, but it's too early to judge taking into account the first quarter, we'll see what the second quarter will show. At the same time, the pace of construction and assembly work in Kyiv region is growing," he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.

According to UTG, in the first quarter 174,200 square meters of housing were commissioned in the capital, 385,000 square meters in the region.

"If to take the total commissioning volume in Kyiv and the region, it is comparable with the results of last year: this is about 600,000 square meters," the expert added.

He also noted that despite obtaining a large number of construction permits (more than 10 million square meters since 2016), many plots do not have the necessary purpose, namely industrial enterprises, municipal companies and storage facilities.