Brno cannot yet make a decision on the zoning decision for Aupark

Brno - The Brno city council cannot yet decide on the appeal against the zoning decision for the construction of the Aupark shopping center, which is to be built on a parking lot next to the Zvonařka bus station. The city is awaiting a statement from the Ministry of Health. The council spokesman Pavel Žára told ČTK. The developer HB Reavis obtained the decision 14 months ago, but since it is still not final, it cannot apply for a building permit.
    According to the spokesman for HB Reavis, Magadaléna Drsová, only the company ECE, the owner of the neighboring shopping center Galerie Vaňkovka, has appealed. The city council is waiting for the Ministry of Health's expression regarding the appeal, which should either confirm or modify the binding statement from the South Moravian Regional Hygiene Station. "We have already urged the Ministry for a response back in April," said Žára.
    The zoning decision was obtained by the developer for the massive shopping center after seven years of delays. Civic associations opposed the construction, and the Brno city council submitted several comments; the project has caused significant controversy.
    Aupark is set to offer 31,000 m² of leasable space and will have approximately 170 shops. The developer plans to build it on the connection between the city center and a potential relocated train station. Opponents have previously criticized it for potentially eliminating small retailers and further congesting the already overloaded surrounding area. It will also provide significant competition to the neighboring Galerie Vaňkovka; according to its director Martin Kondrát, the establishment of Aupark would represent a significant competitive impact on the market situation.
    In the future, Aupark is to be part of the southern center development area, thus the city wants to organize a round table with landowners. "So we know what plans they have and what the city can expect in the case of either a relocated or non-relocated station," said the city's deputy mayor Matěj Hollan (Žít Brno) to ČTK.
    The Aupark project has also been affected by the case involving architects Jaroslav Dokoupil and Radoslav Kobza. They received a fine of 50,000 CZK from the Czech Chamber of Architects and a three-year ban on applying for public contracts because they designed Aupark and then created a study for the city assessing the impact of the construction on the surrounding area. According to the chamber, this was a clear conflict of interest.