<p>Preparation of the new spatial plan for Brno has taken on further delays</p>

Brno - The preparation of the new urban plan for Brno has experienced further delays. The city council has postponed the schedule by six months. This is not the first time the preparation has been extended; the document was originally intended to be valid in 2010. According to Deputy Mayor Ladislav Macek (ČSSD), the reason for the further delay is the number of objections and comments received from the public regarding the draft document. Another reason is the delay in the validity of the new regional urban plan, Macek told journalists today. Although the regional representatives approved the document, there has been a problem with its legal posting on the official boards of all municipalities.
     Citizens, companies, and representatives of the public have sent 2,100 objections and comments to the magistrate regarding the prepared urban plan. Some of these, according to Macek, have 50 to 80 sections relating to specific parts of Brno. By shifting the schedule, officials will have more time to address these objections and comments.
     Macek also ruled out the possibility that Brno would take the same approach as Prague and define individual areas in the new urban plan more loosely than was customary in the currently valid document. "We want to go a different way. The representatives of the public actually want us to specify the future use of the land clearly, possibly including specific heights of buildings, connections to transportation infrastructure, relationships to other developments, and so on," said the deputy.
     Mayor Roman Onderka (ČSSD) previously stated that it would be a success if the representatives managed to approve the new urban plan within this electoral period, that is, by autumn 2014. This deadline now seems to be unrealistic.
     Numerous civic initiatives and associations have been involved in the preparation of the document. Some are protesting against the planned roads, others against industrial zones. Others advocate for much more substantial support for cycling; the city should view it as a legitimate way for people to commute to work, school, or shopping. According to them, financial support for the construction of bike paths and cycling routes should correspond as well.