Olomouc wants to engage the general public in the preparation of the zoning plan

Olomouc - The leadership of the city of Olomouc has chosen a completely extraordinary and unique approach within the Czech Republic in the preparation of a new urban plan. Representatives of the general public, interest groups, and professional organizations will have the opportunity to observe and comment on the entire process of preparing this strategic document, to a much greater extent than the law requires of self-governments. Through a comprehensive campaign, the city leadership aims, among other things, to prevent subsequent problems and frequent requests for changes to the already approved urban plan, which have regularly recurred in the past.
The strategic document, which will gradually be developed from 2008 to 2011, will shape the character of the city for at least the next fifteen years after its approval. The intention to prepare a new urban plan was approved by the City Council of Olomouc at its meeting on September 15, 2008, thereby launching the whole process of its creation.
With an unprecedentedly extensive information campaign, the city leadership wants to continue the trend begun, for example, with the selection of the city logo and new visual style, where both the lay and professional public received an unusually large amount of space. "We want to communicate with the public much more openly than in the past, and where possible, also actively involve the city's residents in important events and processes," stated the Mayor of Olomouc, Martin Novotný.
The information campaign for the preparation of the new urban plan also aims, among other things, to prevent problems that usually arise after the approval of similar documents. "The currently valid urban plan of Olomouc was approved ten years ago and has since been changed numerous times according to the current needs of various groups. In total, we have had to make more than a hundred adjustments. We want to avoid that because all such changes are very demanding," reminded Radek Dosoudil, head of the concept and development department.
According to the Mayor, the city wants to prepare the urban plan not only to reflect the current state but also to anticipate possible developments in the city in the coming years. "At the same time, we want to demonstrate our openness to the public by showing that this issue truly concerns all residents of the city, not just a few representatives of its political representation. We believe that this will also help strengthen patriotism among local citizens," he added.
The campaign will include, in addition to standard procedures such as publishing individual pieces of information on notice boards and informing through media, a number of other activities. These should provide various target groups with the opportunity to express themselves knowledgeably regarding the planned urban plan. City representatives and the urban plan developers plan a series of discussions, conferences, and debates with both the professional and lay public. The city hall wants to inform the citizens about the progress of the urban plan's development and the possibilities for them to participate in this process through leaflets and other informational materials. People will also have the opportunity to obtain comprehensive information and express their opinions on a special website that will be launched in the coming days. A number of interesting outreach events are also prepared to bring this topic closer to ordinary citizens. "Feedback is also important to us. We want to gather public opinions through surveys, questionnaires, and online discussions," concluded Mayor Novotný.
The need for the creation of a new urban plan was triggered not only by its existing unsatisfactory state, caused by numerous changes in ownership relations and other adjustments, but also by the new building law that came into effect on January 1, 2007. This law restricted the validity of certain urban plans to the date of December 31, 2011. Although an amendment to the building law came into effect on June 3, 2008, extending the validity of these urban plans to December 31, 2015, the concept and development department of the Olomouc City Hall commenced preparations for a new urban plan as early as 2006.