The South Moravian Council will approve the zoning plan on October 5

Brno - The South Moravian Region has completed the public discussion of the principles of spatial development, which will be approved by the regional assembly at an extraordinary meeting on October 5, just before the elections. The region has all the opinions and agreements with the relevant ministries, based on which the document can be discussed and issued in the assembly. This was stated to ČTK by Governor Michal Hašek (ČSSD). The principles of spatial development are missing for the region because they were annulled by the Supreme Administrative Court in 2012 at the request of several municipalities and individuals due to inadequate environmental impact assessment.

The final process of public discussion began in April, and interested parties could submit their comments until mid-June. The region received objections from 39 municipalities, two investors, and 16 representatives of the public, and 1253 submissions were independent. According to councilor Antonín Tesařík (KDU-ČSL), 131 submissions were different, while the rest coincided with others. "All submissions have been addressed in writing. In some cases, we fully complied, in others, it could not be granted, and in some cases, it was granted only partially," stated Tesařík. According to him, the objections and comments were evaluated in accordance with the building code and provided to all concerned authorities, which expressed their opinions. Hašek considers the agreement between the region and the Ministry of the Environment to be key, as it had criticisms regarding the approach to some parts of the document. "The Ministry of the Environment agrees with the proposal for a decision on objections and the proposal for the evaluation of comments on the draft principles, but requests certain wording adjustments in the justification for rejecting some objections," informed ČTK Jana Taušová from the ministry.

The principles have critics who are most concerned that the region left key transport routes for Brno and its surroundings only in spatial reserves, stating that the area will be resolved later. This bothers several municipalities and also Brno. "The region did not solve the most important issue, which it should have resolved in the principles, such as the routing of the R43, as well as related roads and highways around Brno. The principles should include roads of national significance that cross borders. However, these principles do not contain that," stated Deputy Mayor Martin Ander (SZ). However, he did not want to comment on Brno's further steps. Regional opposition councilor Jan Vitula (TOP 09) thinks that the region should wait to approve the plan and work it out with Brno and its surroundings. "It's better than to approve the plan quickly before the elections and risk that it will be overturned by the court again," said Vitula.

Critics of the regional plan state that they will challenge the document in court again. "Everyone has the right to file a lawsuit. We are convinced that we have maximally respected the laws and the case law of the courts, including the Supreme Administrative Court and its previous decision," said Hašek. According to him, it is impossible to create such a document that would satisfy all of the nearly 1.2 million residents and all of the more than 670 municipalities in the region. "It is important for the region to have a foundation, and then to further negotiate with Brno on how to connect regional spatial planning with the prepared spatial plan of Brno," added Hašek.