Liberec will extend the preparation of the new zoning plan by up to two years

Liberec - Liberec will extend the preparation of the new zoning plan for another two years, which will address the city's development over the next 20 to 30 years. According to a new schedule that councilors will approve on Thursday, its adoption is expected in May 2017. Liberec has already postponed the approval of the zoning plan once due to uncertainties in the amendment to the building law. The deadline has thus shifted from last summer to this June.
    According to Deputy Mayor for Land Use Planning Karolína Hrbková (Změna pro Liberec), there are several reasons for the further delay. “We have received around 700 objections and comments from citizens to the proposal and 12 objections from public representatives with approximately 3,500 signatures. This is too many citizens who took the time to express their opinions on the zoning plan, so it is not possible to ignore their views and the zoning plan needs to be adjusted,” said Hrbková.
    She considers the most pressing issues to be the collection transport communications and the development areas on the outskirts of the city. For example, residents of Ostašov dislike the plan to build an industrial zone, while the inhabitants of Doubí want to preserve greenery on municipal land under Makro. “Of course, I know that it is not possible to satisfy everyone, but we want to discuss with citizens and seek solutions that are acceptable for the largest possible group of people and are simultaneously in accordance with the city's development strategy,” said the deputy.
    Due to the large number of objections, the deputy wants to discuss the land-use proposal again as a whole. According to the currently valid schedule, discussions were only supposed to take place about parts of the city where changes occurred compared to the proposal. “We are thus reopening space for the involvement of the general public and at the same time maintaining maximum transparency in the process of drafting the new zoning plan,” believes Hrbková. According to the deputy, the approval of the zoning plan should also be preceded by the creation of a green study, which was not accounted for in the current schedule.
    The extension of preparations may deprive Liberec of a grant of three million crowns for creating the concept of the zoning plan. A condition for providing the grant was that the new zoning plan would be approved by Liberec by the beginning of the summer holidays. However, according to Hrbková, the city will try to negotiate an extension of the deadline with the Ministry of the Environment.
    The valid zoning plan is from 2002, and its validity expires in 2020. Liberec has been preparing the new one since 2007. Unlike other cities of a similar size, the one-hundred-thousand-strong Liberec has limited development possibilities. The city is bordered by the Jizera Mountains and the Ještěd Ridge. These are forested areas that are protected and cannot be developed. The possibility of building on quality agricultural land is also limited. Additionally, Liberec is unique for its green belts that extend from the mountain ranges and divide the buildings in the city.