Olomouc wants a building freeze on the land for Šantovka Tower

Olomouc - The Olomouc City Hall intends to declare a construction ban on the land surrounding the planned Šantovka Tower skyscraper near the historical center, allowing time to adjust the allowed height of new buildings in this part of the city. The planned correction of the new zoning plan has faced several months of delay, and the court annulled the height regulations on the land of the former Milo enterprise and the adjacent barracks as of December 31. The preparation of Šantovka Tower could thus continue after the New Year, even though the new zoning plan does not account for high buildings in the protective zone of the municipal heritage reserve.
The Regional Court in Olomouc annulled the height regulations in part of the new zoning plan in February, which prevented the construction of the 75-meter-high Šantovka Tower. The city was sued by the developer Office Park Šantovka. The court gave the city until the end of this year to better justify the permitted height of new buildings in this part of Olomouc, which it will not manage to do. Along with heritage conservationists, some experts oppose the construction of Šantovka Tower, arguing that it will damage the panorama of the historical center. The investor holds the opposite view.
Deputy Mayor Aleš Jakubec (TOP 09) told ČTK today that the councillors decided on the construction ban after it was acknowledged as a possible solution by the Supreme Administrative Court (NSS). The NSS ruling, which recently dismissed the appeals of Olomouc and Office Park Šantovka against the verdict of the regional court, also indicates that the investor of Šantovka Tower cannot yet consider permission for all its planned constructions in this part of Olomouc as certain.
"Based on this newly emerged information, the council instructed the Department of Concepts and Development to prepare, discuss, and subsequently present to the city council a material regarding the proposal for a zoning measure on a construction ban in the given area," stated Jakubec. According to Jakubec, the city will gain space to discuss the proposal to amend the zoning plan due to the construction ban, which must then be approved by the council. However, due to the lengthy bureaucratic process, issuing the construction ban will take about four months.
The opposition welcomed the councillors' decision today, although some of its representatives pointed out that the construction ban should have been decided much earlier to take effect immediately in January. "The council could have already done (approved the preparation of the construction ban) perhaps six months ago and not wait until almost the end of the height regulation's validity in the relevant area," commented the councillors' decision Dominika Kovaříková from the Citizens for Olomouc movement.
According to the original schedule, the proposal to amend the zoning plan was to be completed in May this year to be discussed and prepared for approval in January. The preparation has been delayed, so height limits will cease to apply from January. The city will negotiate the proposal for a change in height regulation in the new zoning plan with authorities including the Ministry of Culture. It is impossible to estimate when it will be ready for approval. According to the initiative Citizens Against Šantovka Tower, the investor will thus have at least four months after the New Year to process the zoning decision.