Activists in Pilsen do not want a shopping center, they are demanding a referendum

Plzeň - Five civic associations want to prevent the construction of a shopping gallery on the site of the Plzeň cultural center through a local referendum. The company Amádeus Plzeň intends to demolish it and plans to invest 2.5 billion crowns in a new building over the next two years. Activists will begin collecting signatures on Tuesday, aiming to gather the required 13,500 within a month. Then, the city council would have to announce a public vote and ensure it within 90 days. Martin Marek from the association Kultura(k), which has collected more than 9,000 signatures against Amádeus's plans, stated this to the press today.
    The investor of the Corso Americká building considers this activity to be a "populist obstacle aimed at intentionally damaging the investment." Mayor Martin Baxa (ODS) stated that he respects the Czech legal order, which allows for the organization of a referendum. "I must emphasize, however, that not everything can be reduced to a yes or no question," he said.
        "Our public voice, even though it's not small, has been ignored by the city leadership, which is why we chose this form," said Barbora Ottová from Kultura(k). A preparatory committee of eight members from non-profit organizations has been formed for the referendum from today. Starting Tuesday, volunteers at U Branky will offer petition sheets. Others will be available in partner associations, on the streets, in tea houses, youth clubs, and for seniors.
    According to architect Filip Kastl, the council set regulatory conditions on September 1 "more tailored to the investor and claims it is too late to change anything." According to Marek, there is still at least six months before Amádeus could have a valid zoning decision at the earliest. After that, the change in the zoning plan that activists are pursuing would no longer be possible.
    There would be two questions in the referendum. The second concerns support for changing the zoning plan from the current mixed-use area to urban green space. The first is general, known from most plebiscites, namely that the city of Plzeň "immediately take all steps to prevent the construction of commercial facilities." According to the law, at least 35 percent of eligible voters residing permanently in Plzeň must participate in the local referendum and at least 25 percent must support it. According to the Constitutional Court's decision, city councilors must respect a valid referendum on the change of the zoning plan, Marek added.
    According to the association, after the council meeting, Corso only outwardly appears to be a multifunctional center. Activists want a public debate about the use of the space in the triangle around the cultural center in the city center, for which they are demanding an international architectural competition.
    "Plzeň does not suffer from a lack of shopping space. More cars in the city center are a disaster," said Petr Vaněk, manager of a non-governmental organization. According to Martin Hyťha from Dětí Země, this is a fundamental intervention in public space that the people of Plzeň should decide on.
   "With every such activity, activists take responsibility for any damage caused by this investment. And Amádeus is ready to claim this damage if it occurs," said Jan Piskáček, a representative of the investor, who is continuing preparations for the construction. Amádeus has reportedly complied with all complex and costly regulatory conditions required by the city leadership and residents. Further purposeful blocking of the Corso Americká project will only prolong the unsatisfactory state of the current very unrepresentative object in the city center, he added.
The EIA process for the planned construction is currently underway, to which comments can be sent since last Thursday. It would only be around two to three months before the zoning procedure might begin.
    A referendum against the change in public transport fares was supposed to take place in Plzeň in 2003 when four people gathered 14,500 signatures in two months. Officials then struck off 2,000 of them due to incorrect data, which the activists could not supplement within seven days, the minimum possible period.