Olomouc will sell land to the investor for the expansion of Galerie Šantovka

Olomouc - The Olomouc council today, after a long discussion, approved the sale of municipal land to the company Office Park Šantovka. The company needs this small plot for the planned expansion of the shopping center Galerie Šantovka, which is in close proximity to the historic center of Olomouc. Some council members unsuccessfully proposed that the city hall delay the sale of the land, as there is currently too little information about the investor's intentions and the expansion of the shopping center may have further negative impacts on small shops.

The Galerie Šantovka shopping center opened in Olomouc in 2013 and, with 200 stores, is among the ten largest shopping complexes in the country. The new four-story extension is set to include 80 stores and six hundred parking spaces. If the investor obtains all the necessary permits, the new part of the shopping center is planned to be constructed between 2019 and 2020.

The municipal land, covering approximately 300 square meters, is needed by the investor for the construction of a delivery ramp for the new part of Galerie Šantovka. According to councilman Ivo Vlach (TOP 09), the expansion of the shopping center could adversely affect the operation of the remaining shops and businesses in the historic center of Olomouc. Vlach believes that the city should have retained the land at least until the new zoning plan comes into effect, which will regulate new constructions in this part of the city.

Mayor Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) believes that the decline in shops in the center of Olomouc is not caused by Galerie Šantovka. Traditional shops, according to him, are declining for example due to the advanced age of their operators, who have failed to find successors. "It is also a question of property owners and how they approach potential tenants. Whether they don't have high rents or demands," noted the mayor, according to whom traders are heading to shopping centers that have no interest in city centers.

Opposition councilwoman Dominika Kovaříková (Citizens for Olomouc) pointed out that many shops in the city center have closed in recent years, for reasons other than generational change. Thanks to ownership of the land, the city hall could negotiate with the investor about the design of the shopping center expansion project so that it does not extend to the Mlýnský stream.

The mayor's deputy Martin Major (ODS) supported the sale of the land and claims that similar projects, like the expansion of Galerie Šantovka, can be regulated through zoning planning. "Blocking the plan based on ownership of three percent of this area reminds me of a tug-of-war between two traders," Major pointed out. According to him, the municipal land is of negligible size and the investor can easily manage without it.

Galerie Šantovka is part of a new urban quarter project, which also includes the controversial high-rise building Šantovka Tower. The project is being developed by entrepreneur Richard Morávek.

According to the data from Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), after the opening of Galerie Šantovka in the fall of 2013, the density of retail space in Olomouc increased to 1,550 square meters per one thousand inhabitants, which was approximately double the average across the country. Since then, more large retail stores have opened in the city.