Olomouc, according to the regional authority, did not hesitate in preparing for the construction freeze

Olomouc - The Olomouc City Hall did not hesitate in preparing a construction ban on the land surrounding the planned Šantovka Tower skyscraper near the historic center of Olomouc, according to the regional office. Therefore, the regional government did not comply with the request of the opposition movement ProOlomouc to issue the construction ban instead of the city hall. This was decided today by the regional council at an extraordinary meeting. The ban will still be prepared by the city hall.

"After reviewing the case documentation, the council of the Olomouc Region concluded that there was no inactivity of the Olomouc City Council nor any delays in terms of the legally prescribed deadlines," said the spokesperson of the regional government, Kamila Navrátilová, after the council meeting today to ČTK.

The chairman of ProOlomouc, Tomáš Pejpek, criticized the decision of the regional government. "Both the regional and the Olomouc city councils do not see the public interest in preserving Olomouc's monuments and are turning a blind eye to clientelism. We appeal to everyone who cares about the fate of Olomouc's monuments to support the demand for a fair assessment of the Šantovka Tower project," he told reporters.

ProOlomouc reached out to the regional office at the beginning of May with a request to investigate the city hall's procedure in preparing the construction ban. The city hall then waited several weeks for the regional government's verdict, which now allows it to continue preparing the ban. The deputy mayor, Aleš Jakubec (TOP 09), told ČTK that he would inform the city council about the regional office's decision in July. Jakubec intends to propose the issuance of the construction ban to his colleagues.

"I believe that there is no risk to the city, but some colleagues perceive it differently. It will be a political decision by the council on how to approach this (the proposal for a construction ban)," said Jakubec, who wants to consult the construction ban further with experts from the Ministry of Regional Development.

The investor of Šantovka Tower previously raised objections against the planned construction ban. The councilors preferred to have two legal analyses conducted to avoid the risk of losing court cases, which resulted in a delay in announcing the construction ban. The investor announced that they would legally challenge the ban. According to Jakubec, the legal analyses are not entirely clear-cut.

On December 31 of last year, a court annulled the height regulation for buildings near the historic center of Olomouc. The city was given until the end of last year to better justify the permitted height of buildings in the new zoning plan. However, the preparation of the amendment to the zoning plan has been delayed by several months, so since the New Year, height limits have ceased to apply.

The city now wants to use the construction ban to buy time for additional adjustments to the height regulation of the zoning plan. Without the construction ban, the preparation for the 75-meter-high Šantovka Tower building can continue, even though the new zoning plan does not account for high buildings in the protective zone of the city monument reservation. The amendment to the zoning plan is likely to be approved only at the beginning of next year.

The Šantovka Tower building has been a topic of discussion in Olomouc for a long time. Heritage conservationists and some experts oppose its construction, stating that Šantovka Tower could damage the historical panorama of Olomouc. The investor has a contrary opinion.