The Scientific Council of the Faculty of Arts UP is against Šantovka Tower

Olomouc - The Scientific Council of the Faculty of Arts at Palacký University in Olomouc disagrees with the project for the high-rise Šantovka Tower in Olomouc, which due to its height of 75 meters is set to share the position of the second tallest building in the city with the town hall. According to the scientific council, the town hall should halt the approval process for this building. This is evident from the minutes of the December meeting of the scientific council, which ČTK has available. Earlier, heritage conservationists, some architects, and experts from the Institute of Art History have expressed their opposition to the construction of the high-rise Šantovka Tower in close proximity to the historical center of Olomouc.
    The scientific council of the Faculty of Arts considers the plan for the construction of the high-rise Šantovka Tower to be "extremely inappropriate." "Moreover, it is in contradiction with the plan for the protective zone of the municipal heritage reserve Olomouc. The scientific council joins the position of the scientific council of the general director of the National Heritage Institute in Prague and calls on the representatives of the city of Olomouc to consider halting the approval process for the Šantovka Tower project," states the minutes from the meeting of the scientific council.
    The town hall will not intervene in the approval process of the Šantovka Tower project. "City representatives appreciate that academic staff have shown interest in public matters and have adopted a unified stance on the issue of the planned construction of a high-rise building in the area of the former Milo company. The process of assessing the investor's proposal has its legal requirements and is proceeding accordingly," said Michal Folta, spokesperson for the town hall, to ČTK.
    The Šantovka Tower project was prepared by SMC Development. The building neighboring the new shopping center Galerie Šantovka is to have 22 floors. The cost of construction is estimated by SMC Development to be 400 million crowns. The building is designed to accommodate about 80 apartments. If SMC Development obtains the necessary permits, they intend to start construction this year.
    In addition to heritage conservationists, some experts also oppose the construction of the Šantovka Tower, arguing that it would damage the panorama of the historical center. Investors counter that the panorama of Olomouc will not be disrupted. "Our position is unchanging. We are still preparing the project; there is unnecessary hysteria around it. Thanks to Galerie Šantovka, it is evident that our visualization corresponds to reality. The non-binding assessment by the municipality confirmed our position. We did not present any manipulative images, and we believe that this building belongs in Olomouc," said Richard Morávek, a representative of the investor, to ČTK.
    There are two new high-rise buildings in Olomouc. The Regional Center Olomouc reaches a height of 71 meters and the building of the Moravian University stands at 74 meters. Opponents of the Šantovka Tower argue that the project is in conflict with the principles of territorial development of the region, which take precedence over the zoning plan of Olomouc. The new zoning plan, which has yet to come into effect, does not take into account any further high-rise buildings near the municipal heritage reserve. The Ministry of Culture expressed opposition to their construction during its preparation.
    The Šantovka Tower project is being assessed by the officials of the town hall. However, SMC Development does not intend to wait for the new zoning plan to be approved. If it obtains a permit based on the current plan, it can start building even after the new version comes into effect, which will happen in mid this year.