The revised proposal for the urban plan of Brno, according to the opponent, has eliminated the main issues

Brno - The revised draft of the zoning plan, which the Brno city councilors did not approve two years ago, is, according to one of the main opponents, the mayor of Líšeň, Břetislav Štefan (SOCDEM), significantly better and addresses fundamental issues. It includes measures for better protection of greenery and stabilized areas. The so-called local dominances, whose potential construction was not regulated by any rules in the previous draft, have also been removed from the proposal, he told ČTK. Responses from several other municipal district mayors indicate that they are now addressing or have addressed only comments in specific locations.

The city presented the proposal in February. The municipal districts had time to respond until April 8. Responses from the mayors indicate that the author of the proposal complied with several comments; however, in some cases, it was not complied with, and a proper justification for this negative opinion must be provided. After incorporating the comments and addressing them, a public discussion with the public should take place in the summer. The city administration wants to approve the proposal no later than the middle of next year. The city is still governed by the zoning plan from 1994.

Two years ago, the mayors of the municipal districts, along with some of the public, began to criticize the proposal because they objected to the insufficient protection of greenery. Ultimately, in addition to the People's Party, which oversaw the creation of the plan, even coalition partners opposed it. "The current proposal has added another map layer that defines green areas and provides them with greater protection. This establishes protection for both greenery in inner blocks and in housing estates," said Štefan. Mayors and residents were concerned that the zoning plan could lead to new constructions in the middle of housing estates or in inner blocks.

The previous proposal also allowed for the construction of so-called local dominances, which, according to Štefan, were buildings that lacked clear rules. They could significantly overshadow existing buildings. "Now the rules for height levels are clearly defined," stated Štefan. He also appreciated the stabilization of areas where there is rural-type housing with family houses in the outer parts of Brno. "The original proposal allowed construction in the second line, but the networks are not prepared for that at all," said Štefan.

Even though he believes that every municipal district will find places in the new plan that they do not agree with, these are minor issues. "For us, there are two to three locations where we have a different opinion on the future of the area," said Štefan. Responses from the mayors make it clear that they would like to change the functional use of certain areas, i.e., to maintain their current use or change their future use. In some cases, it concerns a change in the maximum height of buildings. The comments also reflect the mayors' concerns about new construction that will generate more intensive traffic. For example, Řečkovice does not want approvals for further construction in Jehnice and Ořešín, from where the only route to the city center runs right through them. Žabovřesky also does not want new construction connected through Sochorova in Podveská. Nový Lískovec opposes the construction of a road to Bosonohy.

Concerns about increased traffic are a long-term issue, and this is also related to the mayors' attitude towards the Brno Building Regulations, which are being developed parallel to the zoning plan and are set to come into effect on July 1. The topic is the coefficient that determines the number of parking spaces for each new building depending on the size of the residential area. While most mayors support a higher coefficient, the mayor of Židenice, Petr Kunc (Voice for Židenice), would prefer to lower it. "Housing prices are higher because the developer has to build the required number of parking spaces due to the coefficient. And people who want to create an attic conversion in a family house have no chance because they have nowhere to place a parking space. Moreover, today many people do not need to own a car," believes Kunc. Lowering the coefficient would definitely help Židenice. "My colleague (Jan) Levíček from Ořešín would want two parking spaces for each family house, but what happens when everyone leaves with those cars each morning? The streets cannot accommodate that many cars anyway," Kunc said.