Ombudswoman defends the historical panorama of Olomouc – controversial Šantovka Tower sent to court

Since 2011, the Za krásnou Olomouc association, along with affiliated experts – urban planners, architects, historians, and conservationists – has consistently alerted the city's leadership to the harmful tendency to cater to investors even in cases where it may encounter the limits of existing legislation. The course of the approval process for the controversial Šantovka Tower has raised justified doubts among the public about the equal rights and obligations of the citizens of Olomouc and has broadly called into question the principles of democracy in general.

In her statement, outgoing ombudsman Anna Šabatová succinctly summarized the essential points of the lawsuit she decided upon after reviewing the entire file. She considers the effort to push through the construction of a residential high-rise building in the previously meticulously guarded protective zone of the city heritage reserve as a serious threat to the public interest. This is happening with the tacit approval of all alternating municipalities and with the open support of city hall officials who are tasked with the performance of state administration.

Architect David Helcel from the Citizens Against Šantovka Tower Initiative adds: “It is precisely the intertwining of local self-government with state administration, the actions and statements of former and currently active city politicians, and the ongoing pressure from the investor, who refers to a vaguely formulated cooperation agreement, that makes this case a telling example of the risks of systemic bias.”

The Za krásnou Olomouc association, together with representatives of the Citizens Against Šantovka Tower Initiative, have exhausted all regular legal remedies without an adequate response. Therefore, they appealed for a review of the latest disputed document in the series - the zoning decision for Šantovka Tower issued by the Building Department of the City of Olomouc - specifically to the Office of the Public Defender of Rights as a last possible avenue for real correction of the entire sequence of errors in the decision-making of state administration and local self-government.

“The Za krásnou Olomouc association is committed to actively participating in the latest developments of the case. The injustice that has accompanied it for years could not, considering the professional honor of its members, simply be left alone,” states art historian Martina Mertová. She adds: “We were also bound by the trust of a significant number of experts and laypeople who shared our opinion and supported our efforts in the long term. For that, they certainly deserve our gratitude.”

Michaela Johnová Čapková, who is responsible for the finances of the Za krásnou Olomouc association, explains: “As a non-profit organization, we obtained funds for the preparation of legal documents for the Ombudsman’s Office from the VIA Foundation through the Living Community project. A significant portion of the funds was then received from the public through the Darujeme.cz platform. We value this support above all else. In December of last year, we were surprised to receive the Courage Award from the Anti-Corruption Foundation.”

“The last few months have thus restored our hope,” concludes David Helcel.