The chief architect of Ostrava has not yet been excluded from the chamber

Ostrava - The Chamber Court of the Czech Chamber of Architects today has not yet decided whether to exclude the chief architect of the city of Ostrava, Jaroslav Sedlecký, from this professional association. The Chamber is displeased that the architect participated in preparing the conditions for a development competition for the construction of a lucrative area in the center of Ostrava, the former Karolina coking plant. The Chamber considers this competition to be irregular.
    "It is complicated, and we still need some additional information, such as a legal audit of various opinions from the Chamber and the city (of Ostrava)," said Václav Šebek, the chairman of the nine-member Chamber Court, to journalists. He added that the Chamber will strive to ensure that the entire process is completed before the announcement of the competition results, which the city plans to announce in mid-year. Sedlecký has not yet wished to comment on the ongoing proceedings.
    If the Chamber were to expel Sedlecký from its ranks, it would practically mean that he could not perform activities in construction that require an authorization stamp. "These include all projects that are subject to an approval process; for example, he would not be able to design projects for which a building permit must be obtained," Šebek explained. He added that Sedlecký's position as chief architect would not be affected by an expulsion from the Chamber.
    The attractive 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 away from their concept and announced a development competition at the end of last year. The police are also dealing with a criminal complaint regarding possible forgery or alteration of the land use plan in connection with the Karolina area. "This court will, of course, also determine whether there has been any procedural violation during the amendments to the land use plan," Šebek stated. He added, however, that the police investigation currently does not impact the disciplinary proceedings.
    The city of Ostrava could obtain approximately 200 million crowns from the sale of land in the area of the former Karolina coking plant. The entire area covers roughly 36 hectares, but the undeveloped area constitutes about 30 hectares. Interested parties can submit their projects for the competition until April 28.