Building closure on the lands near the planned Šantovka Tower is experiencing further delays

Olomouc - The preparation of the building ban on the land around the planned skyscraper Šantovka Tower near the historical center of Olomouc is experiencing further delays. The city hall has been waiting for several weeks for a response from the regional office regarding the request from the opposition movement ProOlomouc to investigate the actions of the city council. According to the movement, the city is unnecessarily procrastinating with the building ban, which aims to prevent the controversial building until the approval of the adjustment to the new urban plan. The city claims the opposite.

"At the moment, we (regarding the preparation of the building ban) haven't been able to do anything for about a month because we handed them (the regional office) the file and we have to wait until they return it to us," said the mayor's deputy Aleš Jakubec (TOP 09) to ČTK today. The ProOlomouc movement requested a ruling from the regional office at the beginning of May. According to ČTK information, the regional council should decide on Friday at an extraordinary meeting before the regional assembly whether the councilors have been inactive in preparing the building ban.

As soon as the regional councilors decide on the demands of the opposition movement ProOlomouc, Jakubec will inform the city council in July. The mayor's deputy then intends to propose the issuance of a building ban to his colleagues. "I believe that the city is not at risk, but some colleagues see it differently. It will be a political decision of the council on how they will approach this (proposal for the building ban)," said Jakubec, who wants to consult the building ban with experts from the Ministry of Regional Development.

The investor of Šantovka Tower has previously raised objections against the planned building ban. The councilors then preferred to have two legal analyses prepared to avoid the risk of losing court disputes, which delayed the announcement of the building ban. The investor previously announced that they would legally oppose the ban. According to Jakubec, the legal analyses are not entirely clear. "It will serve as a basis for final decision-making. We must decide on the building ban because we have started the process," said Jakubec.

The height regulation of buildings near the historical center of Olomouc was annulled by the court on December 31 of last year. The city hall was given time until the end of last year to better justify the permitted building height in the new urban plan. However, the preparation of the amendment to the urban plan was delayed by several months, so the height limits ceased to apply from the New Year.

The city now wants to use the building ban to gain time for the additional adjustment of the height regulation in the urban plan. Without the building ban, preparations for the construction of the 75-meter-high Šantovka Tower can continue, even though the new urban plan does not account for high-rise buildings in the protective zone of the municipal heritage reserve.

Due to the currently differing opinions between the city hall and the Ministry of Culture on the conditions of height regulation, the municipal assembly could discuss the amendment to the urban plan at the beginning of next year, according to Jakubec.

The Šantovka Tower building has been a subject of heated discussion in Olomouc for a long time. Heritage protectionists and some experts disagree with its construction, arguing that it could damage the historic skyline of Olomouc. The investor holds the opposite view.