Opposition wants to discuss the zoning plan of Olomouc due to Šantovka

Olomouc - The amendment to the spatial plan of Olomouc, which will set height limits for properties in the vicinity of the historical center of the city and thus prevent the construction of the Šantovka Tower high-rise building, was proposed to be included in the agenda of Monday's council meeting by the opposition movement Pro Olomouc. According to ProOlomouc, there is a risk of delay, as the investor may soon obtain a zoning decision for the project of this controversial high-rise building. This was stated today by the chairman of ProOlomouc and councilor Tomáš Pejpek.

The construction of Šantovka Tower has been discussed in Olomouc for years. Heritage conservators and some experts oppose it, claiming it would harm the historical panorama of the city. The investor argues otherwise and last autumn alerted the city hall that the city had committed in a 2010 contract to cooperate on the Šantovka project.

"Since last June, an amendment to the spatial plan with height limits has been sitting at the Olomouc city hall, ready for discussion by the council. Since then, three council meetings have taken place, but the proposal has not been presented to the councilors for discussion. The Ministry of the Interior labeled the council as inactive," stated Pejpek.

According to him, the councilors will have perhaps their last chance on Monday to restore the height limits before the building authority issues a zoning decision for the Šantovka Tower project. "However, the city hall now refers to an indefinite letter from the Ministry of Culture and has once again not presented the proposal to the council's agenda," Pejpek remarked.

The proposal for the amendment of the spatial plan for Olomouc is, according to Pejpek, properly discussed, and nothing prevents it from being presented to the council. The Ministry of Culture, led by the former Olomouc mayor Antonín Staněk (ČSSD), recently announced that it wants to reassess its previous opinion on the prepared amendment to the spatial plan.

The amendment to the spatial plan for the properties in the Šantovka area sets a height limit for buildings at 23 meters, while the Šantovka Tower is supposed to be 76 meters. The Ministry of Culture should inform the city hall whether it has reassessed its position or whether it stands by the original one. The Ministry has labeled the issue of the amendment to the spatial plan as very complex and warned that a response can be expected only in April.

Years ago, the Ministry of Culture prohibited the construction of high-rise buildings within the protective zone of the heritage reservation in Olomouc, which was reflected in the spatial plan of 2014. The high-rise regulation was later overturned by the court. Last year, the council did not discuss the amendment to the spatial plan, and the council did not approve a temporary construction moratorium either. Last week, the council approved filing an objection in the zoning procedure for the Šantovka Tower project. "The objection concerns the height of the building," said city hall spokesman Michal Folta. The building authority will address the city's initiatives.