The Olomouc councilors did not decide on the building moratorium at Šantovka

Olomouc - The Olomouc city council today did not decide on the issuance of a temporary building ban on land adjacent to the historical center of Olomouc, where the construction of the 75-meter tall building Šantovka Tower is planned. None of the options presented in the materials for the city council meeting were accepted, said city hall spokesperson Radka Štědrá today. The councilors want to discuss the building ban again in mid-August. The Šantovka Tower building has been vigorously debated in Olomouc for several years. Preservationists and some experts oppose its construction, claiming it may damage the historical skyline of the city. The investor has a different opinion.

"Due to the fact that no resolution was adopted, the city council decided at the proposal of the mayor and in accordance with the rules of procedure to entrust the relevant deputy mayor Aleš Jakubec with reviewing the submitted rejected materials and subsequently discussing them with coalition partners," Štědrá stated. The resulting position arising from these discussions will, according to Štědrá, serve as a basis for the materials that will be presented at the next city council meeting.

The long-prepared change to the zoning plan, which was supposed to establish a height limit for buildings near the historical center, was ultimately not discussed by the Olomouc council in June. The height regulation would have prevented the construction of Šantovka Tower. Recently, representatives of five political parties and movements urged the city hall to issue a temporary building ban, claiming that this official decision should be followed by an amendment to the zoning plan with height limits. The construction ban was also demanded by participants of a protest action on Monday in the center of Olomouc, who disapprove of the Šantovka Tower high-rise building project adjacent to the historical center.

The construction of high-rise buildings in the protective zone of the monument reserve was previously prohibited by the Ministry of Culture, which was then reflected in the new zoning plan from 2014. However, a court later annulled the height regulation of buildings around the center of Olomouc. The city hall was given time until the end of 2015 to better justify the allowed height of buildings in the zoning plan. However, the amendment to the zoning plan has been delayed, so height limits ceased to apply from January 2016.