Initiative: Further high-rise buildings in Olomouc will be prevented by a closure

Olomouc - The construction of further high-rise buildings in Olomouc could be halted by a building freeze until the new zoning plan is approved, which no longer counts on new landmarks in the city. The initiative Citizens Against Šantovka Tower has proposed this idea, expressing discontent that investors in Olomouc want to hurriedly begin construction of two new high-rise buildings while the current zoning plan is still in effect. ČTK is seeking a statement from the city hall.
    Petr Daněk from the initiative Citizens Against Šantovka Tower told ČTK today that a well-set building freeze would protect the historical center of Olomouc from the construction of further high-rise buildings but would not mean stopping other projects. "The city council has an elegant planning measure at its disposal. It would prevent precisely those plans that intend to exceed the newly agreed height limits. We are in an uncomfortable interim period where there is a substantive conflict between the existing valid zoning plan of the city and the developed proposal for a new zoning plan," Daněk pointed out.
    Currently, there are two new high-rise buildings in Olomouc. RCO measures 71 meters, and the building of the Moravian University is 74 meters tall. In the vicinity of the historical city center, the construction of the Šantovka Tower is being prepared, which at its 75 meters would share the position of the second tallest building in Olomouc with the town hall. However, the regional office annulled the decision of the city’s heritage officials, who approved the construction of Šantovka Tower in the protective zone of the urban conservation area. Therefore, the project, which has many opponents in Olomouc, is likely to complicate.
    Entrepreneur Josef Tesařík announced on Thursday that he wants to begin the construction of another high-rise building measuring about 45 meters at the BEA complex on Kosmonautů Avenue by the end of the year. The dominant feature of the BEA complex, located on the site of former barracks, is the seat of the Moravian University, which is the third tallest building in Olomouc.
    Tesařík does not hide the fact that he intends to start the construction of the second part of the BEA complex, including the new high-rise building, before the new zoning plan takes effect, which does not account for the construction of further high-rise buildings in Olomouc. Before starting construction, he wants to discuss the project again with the councilors to familiarize them with the details and convince them of its necessity.
    However, the councilors are not particularly fond of the project for another high-rise building in the city. The planned completion of the BEA complex includes several multi-story buildings for the university campus, as well as a square and an avenue, to which the city hall has no objections. "This (high-rise) building has not convinced us yet. We want to continue discussions with the investor," said Mayor Martin Novotný (ODS).
    The new zoning plan for Olomouc is expected to take effect this year after long discussions. Critics among developers argue that it will limit construction activities in the attractive parts of the city. "It is not true that the new zoning plan would choke investors and prevent the development of the center. In the protective zone of the urban conservation area, it allows the construction of buildings up to seven stories tall and in the nearby Kosmonautů Avenue, nine-story buildings. It seems to us that delaying the approval of the new zoning plan, should it take long, is deliberate," believes Tomáš Pejpek from the Olomouck architects' club.