Olomouc residents discussed the future of the city, there was a lot of interest

A lively and undoubtedly meaningful debate took place at yesterday’s meeting between city representatives and the public of Olomouc. The topic of the open discussion, for the second time this month, was the proposal for the assignment of a new urban plan for the city of Olomouc. While the first meeting was intended for experts, this time anyone could attend.
The opportunity for residents to ask about the preparation of the new urban plan generated unprecedented interest. More than eighty residents arrived at the meeting room of the magistrate's building on Hynaisova Street, and they made the most of the two hours allotted for discussion. Present throughout the meeting were the mayor of the city, Martin Novotný, and representatives from the Department of Conception and Development.
In his introductory speech, Radek Dosoudil, head of the Department of Conception and Development, emphasized that the preparation of the urban plan is still in its early stages, and Olomouc residents will have many opportunities to express their views on it in the coming three years while the document is being created. “For now, we are dealing with a very general document proposing the assignment of the urban plan, which broadly defines which areas the urban plan should address, but does not specify how or concretely what will or will not be in certain areas of the city,” explained Dosoudil. The law does not require municipalities to hold public discussions at this stage and Olomouc is providing its citizens with much more opportunity than other cities in this regard.
As expected, the most discussed area, which is of greatest concern to Olomouc residents, became transport. This topic frequently emerged as the main subject of discussion during the previous meeting with experts. The lay public was also most interested in the solutions for the bypasses of Olomouc, both the existing ones – the western tangent, and those that only exist on paper so far – the eastern tangent and the northern connection. The topic of the eastern tangent is of particular interest to Olomouc residents in relation to its handling on one hand and the protection of the historic landscape on the other. Transport experts and the mayor assured attendees that they are seeking a solution that would address the critical traffic situation in the neighborhoods of Hodolany, Holice, and Chválkovice, while impacting the landscape under Svatý Kopeček as little as possible.
The protection of cultural values was also a fairly common subject of discussion, and although most of them did not pertain to the assignment of the urban plan, city representatives tried to answer all questions. These included inquiries about the future of the Crown Fort or the so-called Red Church. “Using the church for purposes similar to a warehouse is a catastrophic socialist idea,” pointed out Olomouc architect Stašek Žerava. “Although the urban plan does not address the use of specific buildings, and this facility is owned by the Olomouc Region, I fully agree that such use of a cultural monument is certainly not ideal and we will try to at least be the initiator for the region to start addressing the situation,” assured Mayor Novotný.
Representatives of the district of Nemilany also attended the discussion, who were particularly interested in why the reserve area for the municipal wastewater treatment plant is planned in this locality. “This area was proposed in the original urban plan, and the developer of the new one will reconsider this proposal. It is certain that we must propose an area for the municipal wastewater treatment plant, because it is uncertain how long the existing one will be sufficient,” replied Jiří Soural, head of the Department of Technical Infrastructure.
The topics of recreational and quiet zones also appeared in several remarks, specifically concerning the future of Holický, Černovírský, or Slavonínský forests or the gardening colonies in the Na kopci locality. Although decisions about their future will be made in the near years, city representatives emphasized that preserving recreational zones and public green spaces is one of the priorities of the urban plan assignment. Environmental concerns were also related to inquiries about noise and dust levels in certain areas.
The topic of building family homes appeared several times. “We have the impression that there is a lack of locations for family homes where people would want to live long-term and invest their money in Olomouc,” said the mayor, pointing out another problem, namely the aesthetic imbalance of certain areas, such as that which has arisen in recent years near the Neředín cemetery. “This area has not fared too well aesthetically, and the city would like to prevent similar situations in the future. Not that we would map out how each individual house should look from A to Z, but some regulation would seem appropriate,” he added.
Other inquiries included flood prevention measures, the future of the former Mila complex, urban solutions for Kosmonautů Street, and planned industrial areas. Unfortunately, not all interested parties had the chance to speak, so the Department of Conception and Development plans to organize an online discussion on this topic by the end of the year, in which anyone can participate through the website www.olomouc.eu/uzemni-planovani. We will inform you in a timely manner about the exact date, and those interested can already leave their questions and comments here.