The Brno municipal plan faces criticism a week before approval, its fate is uncertain

Brno – The draft of the Brno zoning plan is facing criticism a week before its approval, with reservations even from some coalition representatives, and it may be delayed or not approved at all. The opposition and coalition partners of the People's Party, under whose auspices the plan was developed by the Office of the Architect of the City of Brno, oppose the new plan. However, Deputy Mayor Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) and City Planning Councillor Filip Chvátal (KDU-ČSL) fully support the plan and consider it to be of high quality. This follows statements and reactions from politicians today and in recent days.

The city is currently addressing the fate of land that the state transferred to it free of charge in the past on the condition that it will be used as per the agreement. Critics of the plan do not like what they perceive as insufficient protection of greenery, the possibility of densification of buildings in housing estates and courtyard areas, or the conversion of family homes into apartments in the city's outskirts. They believe this will overall worsen the living conditions of current residents.

The problem that the city leadership must now solve is the requirement for the use of land acquired free of charge from the state, which is designated in the plan as development areas. "We only started addressing this recently, and it is now a crucial point," said Hladík at today’s press conference following the council meeting. He also mentioned that it is currently uncertain whether the issue will be resolved in the coming days or whether it may take several months. According to Councillor Chvátal, there are two possible solutions. Either the land office accepts that the new zoning plan is not the same as a change in the zoning plan, or the city could commit through a council vote to use the land as stipulated in the agreements as they were transferred.

Another problem is the resistance from several city district mayors, who expressed their opinions regarding the zoning plan at a press conference today. Criticism is also coming from mayors from the ČSSD party, which is part of the coalition. The ODS led by Mayor Markéta Vaňková also expressed hesitation in May, requesting further legal review. The Pirates will still hold discussions about their approach. In public statements, the opposition parties ANO and SPD have also opposed the zoning plan.

City district mayors are particularly bothered by the fact that the zoning plan allegedly allows for construction in stabilized areas. This typically concerns apartment housing estates and courtyard areas. "There are already traffic and parking problems in the housing estates, and instead of the zoning plan addressing these issues, it only exacerbates them. With further development of green areas, the living environment for current residents is worsening," said Břetislav Štefan (ČSSD), the mayor of Líšeň, who is one of the main critics. "Greenery disappears with every generation in the city," he noted. He mentioned, for example, that the arboretum of the Faculty of Science on Veveří Street is designated in the zoning plan as a building area. "It only takes someone at the university to decide to abolish the arboretum and sell the land to a developer, and there could be construction there," Štefan said.

The mayors pointed to several areas where, according to the new zoning plan, additional construction and higher residential density are at risk. These include the northern part of Lesná, the northwest of the Líšeň housing estate, the area around Lužánky, courtyard areas between Veveří and Grohová, or between Provazníková and Merhautová. Sports fields on Srbská behind Slovanské náměstí could also be developed. Chvátal argued that this is an infill development, which, according to the authors of the zoning plan, is appropriate as long as it respects the character of the locality.

Karin Karasová (ANO), the mayor of Královo Pole, believes that the zoning plan allows for residential development for which the infrastructure is not prepared. Even today, it is very complicated to navigate the city, often even outside of peak traffic times, and there are insufficient places in kindergartens, elementary, and high schools. With the continued influx of residents and slow infrastructure development, Karasová believes the problems will deepen. "This will significantly worsen the quality of life for Brno residents," she said.