The consent of Olomouc for the Šantovka Tower is, according to the region, unlawful

Olomouc - The regional authority will review the repeated positive statement from the heritage conservationists of the Olomouc city hall regarding the planned construction of the Šantovka Tower near the historic center of Olomouc. According to the regional authority, the statement was issued in violation of legal regulations, said Kamila Navrátilová, the spokeswoman for the regional office. The city hall's decision is important for the investor, allowing them to continue preparing the controversial project.

The regional office has already revoked the city officials' statements on the Šantovka Tower project twice. The first time was in January two years ago. Another positive statement from the heritage conservationists was issued by the city hall in the fall of 2014. However, the regional office found that this decision was also not sufficiently justified and was in violation of the law, leading to its annulment last spring. Then, in June of this year, the heritage conservationists from the city hall issued a new approval for the Šantovka Tower project.

"The review process concerning the binding statement from the heritage conservation department of the Olomouc city hall was initiated by the regional office on October 10, and it pertains to a discovered procedural error. After a preliminary assessment of the matter, we concluded that the relevant binding statement was issued in violation of the heritage conservation law," Navrátilová stated. The regional office has 60 days to review the binding statement from the city hall.

The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) requested a review of the city hall's heritage officials' verdict in the summer. "The reason for the submission was serious doubts about whether the binding statement issued by the city hall is lawful, due to a potential conflict with several provisions of the administrative code and the heritage conservation law," said Vlastimil Staněk, spokesman for the Olomouc NPÚ office, to ČTK.

City hall spokeswoman Radka Štědrá told ČTK in June that the investor's request for the Šantovka Tower was not withdrawn after the previous statements were annulled, so the city hall had to decide on it again. According to Štědrá, the state heritage conservation authority at the city hall addressed the regional office's objections and issued a binding statement at the beginning of June that again allows the construction.

The construction of the Šantovka Tower has been a subject of heated debate in Olomouc for a long time. Heritage conservationists and some experts oppose it, arguing that the Šantovka Tower could damage the historical panorama of Olomouc. The investor has a contrary opinion. The city hall is now preparing a building ban on the lands around the Šantovka Tower, which is intended to prevent the construction of the controversial building until the new urban plan amendments are approved.

At the end of last year, the court annulled the height regulations for buildings near the historic center of Olomouc. The city hall was given time to justify the permitted building heights again and more thoroughly in the new urban plan. However, the preparation of the urban plan amendments has been delayed by several months, so the height limits ceased to apply beginning this year. Without a building ban, the preparation for the construction of the 75-meter-high Šantovka Tower can continue despite the new urban plan not accounting for high-rise buildings in the buffer zone of the city heritage reserve.