The court upheld the ornithologists' lawsuit against the construction of a cable car in Brno

Prague - The court today upheld the administrative lawsuit filed by the Czech Ornithological Society (ČSO) against the Ministry of Transport regarding the approval of the cable car construction in Brno. The decision is final, and one can challenge it through a cassation complaint to the Supreme Administrative Court. The cable car is planned to run from Pisárky to the university campus in Bohunice. The city leadership of Brno considers the project, costing 950 million crowns, beneficial from a transport perspective, although 6,000 people have signed a petition against the cable car.

The Prague Municipal Court annulled both the April decision of the Ministry of Transport regarding the construction approval, as well as the previous decision of the Railway Authority from October 2022. The matter was returned to the authorities for further proceedings. "We have reached a clear conclusion that both decisions cannot stand and it is appropriate to annul them," stated the chairman of the senate of the Prague Municipal Court, Ladislav Hejtmánek.

According to the judge, the Railway Authority issued its decision despite finding that there are specially protected species of animals in the affected area, and the project would likely have a negative impact on them. It should have conducted the relevant proceedings according to the Nature and Landscape Protection Act before making a decision. "We are not saying that the project cannot be realized, but we are saying that the proceedings must take place," explained the chairman of the court senate.

Ornithologists have long warned that construction would irreparably damage the valuable forest area on the right bank of the Svratka River, including the largest roost of crows and jackdaws in South Moravia. The Prague Municipal Court previously granted a suspensive effect to the ČSO's lawsuit, thereby suspending the effects of the construction permit until the end of the court proceedings.

The ČSO claims that there are factual errors and shortcomings in the biological assessment of the project. According to the ornithologists, it ignores the fact that specially protected animals live in the area. They fear collisions between birds and the supporting cables as well as glass surfaces, as well as disturbances to all animals. In addition to the impact on nature, the organization also points out the absence of a study that would outline the costs and benefits of the construction. Several property owners near the proposed cable car also joined the lawsuit, pointing out that the construction would fundamentally disrupt their private and family lives.

The city leadership argues regarding the project that many people travel daily to the university campus and its surroundings, and that the cable car could be used by those attending events at the multifunctional hall next to the Pisárky depot. The Brno Public Transport Authority had previously stated that the cable car could also serve employees and patients of the university hospital. However, the need for the cable car is challenged by the opposition Greens. They state that the campus area and the hall are already sufficiently served by trams, trolleybuses, and buses.