The chief architect of Ostrava won a dispute with ČKA over Karolina

Ostrava - The chief architect of the city of Ostrava, Jaroslav Sedlecký, won a case before the professional court against the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA), which was displeased that he participated in preparing the conditions for a developer competition for the redevelopment of the area in the center of Ostrava, the former Karolina coke plant. The chamber had previously called the competition irregular several times. However, the professional court ruled in favor of Sedlecký, and the judgment has already taken legal effect, the chief architect of Ostrava told reporters today.
    "When the supervisory board raises a matter to the professional court, it does not mean that the person is guilty, but that there is reasonable suspicion that they may have committed something, and it is up to the court to prove or disprove it," said Barbara Potyszová, the chairwoman of the supervisory board of the ČKA, to ČTK. The professional court consists of nine members and is one of the organizations of the ČKA. It evaluates potential violations by architects who are members of the ČKA against the chamber's internal regulations, which may involve professional, ethical, or legal errors.
   The chamber was not only displeased that Sedlecký participated in preparing the competition, but also accused him of illegal interference in the zoning plan. The architect faced the possibility of being punished with a two-year revocation of his authorization, which would mean that he could not practically perform activities that require an authorization stamp, such as designing projects that must obtain a building permit. However, it would not affect his work as the chief architect of the city.
    According to Sedlecký, his case highlights internal problems within the chamber, which lacks a built internal structure. Sedlecký got into a dispute with the ČKA, and the professional court, also composed of members of the ČKA, ultimately absolved him of the accusations. "This is a serious internal problem of the chamber. The chamber legally lacks an internal structure that would allow for the creation of opinions on specific matters in some democratic way from its membership base," Sedlecký claims.
    However, Potyszová believes that the organization of the chamber is correct. "Like in any other organization, a thousand people will never have the same opinion," she thinks. She added that it could happen that even the twelve-member board might veto its original position based on the fact that a larger group of people will have a differing opinion.
    For Sedlecký, however, the case regarding the Karolina area does not end with the decision of the professional court. A civil court is still expected to deal with a lawsuit alleging that the chief architect is suspected of forging and altering the zoning plan.
    The attractive Karolina area in the center of Ostrava has long been the subject of a dispute between the city and a group of Polish architects who previously won an international architectural competition for its design. However, the city later backed down from their concept and announced a developer competition, which was ultimately won by the company Multi Development.
    According to Potyszová, the chamber still maintains that the city's conduct and manner of announcing the competition were incorrect and irregular. However, this does not mean that the city did not have the right to abandon the Polish project. The chamber just disapproved of the city's approach and behavior throughout the entire case. "It is not true that the developer competition was fundamentally wrong," Potyszová added.