The Magistrate will determine whether the plots for Šantovka are in a protection zone

Olomouc - The Olomouc City Council has begun to investigate whether the land under the planned high-rise building Šantovka Tower near the historic center of Olomouc falls within the protected zone of the city heritage reserve. The council published the information on its official board. The proceedings were requested by Office Park Šantovka, the company planning to construct the controversial high-rise building. There are uncertainties surrounding the legality of the declaration of the protected zone of the city heritage reserve, which is complicating the planned construction of Šantovka Tower.

The published documents indicate that the Department of Heritage Care of the council initiated proceedings regarding the protected zone of the city heritage reserve in mid-April, and included not only Office Park Šantovka, but also owners of several hundred parcels and buildings within the area of the protected zone as secondary participants.

The Heritage Inspection already alerted the regional office and the Olomouc council in 2008 that the protected zone was assigned to the city heritage reserve in July 1987, and that its declaration in 1971 was not published in the collection of laws. Therefore, the declaration did not acquire legal effect. The city reserve was properly declared only at the end of 1987, but without a protected zone. According to the Heritage Inspection, the protected zone should have been newly defined at the proposal of the regional office.

Kamila Navrátilová, spokesperson for the regional office, told ČTK that the regional office received a copy of a letter last year from the city addressed to the Minister of Culture, Daniel Herman. "The Ministry of Culture was asked to comment on this matter," she stated.

The current proceedings to determine whether the land for Šantovka Tower falls within the protected zone declared in July 1987 is important for the investor. The construction of high-rise buildings in the protected heritage reserve zone was prohibited by the Ministry of Culture, which was reflected in the new zoning plan that allows a maximum height of 23 meters for new constructions in this area.

However, the height regulation of buildings in the vicinity of the historic center of Olomouc was annulled by the court as of December 31, 2015. The council was given time until the end of 2015 to better justify the permitted building heights in the new zoning plan. The preparation of the amendment to the zoning plan was delayed, so as of January 1, 2016, the height limits ceased to apply. The council is considering a temporary building ban. Last year, the council postponed the vote on its declaration because they wanted to better address some of the investor's objections.

Without a building ban, preparations for the construction of the 75-meter-high Šantovka Tower, which has been long debated in Olomouc, can continue. Heritage advocates and some experts oppose its construction, arguing that it could damage the historical skyline of Olomouc. The investor claims otherwise.