MfD and Equality: Underground garages under the Vegetable Market will not be built

The underground of the Vegetable Market (current state)

Brno - The controversial underground garages beneath the Vegetable Market in Brno will not be built. The Brno City Council rejected the rental of land needed for construction to the private company Magnum Real Estate on Wednesday. According to today's issue of Brněnský deník Rovnost and Mladá fronta Dnes, the council members have thus yielded to pressure from the public and experts.
    "If people are convinced that the garages are unacceptable, it's pointless to bang our heads against the wall and look for some side doors," said council member Oliver Pospíšil (ČSSD), according to Brněnský deník Rovnost. The project is likely to be discussed at the council meeting on Tuesday, but the council members will probably only acknowledge the council's decision.
    If the investor knows that they will not receive the necessary land, it makes no sense to initiate a zoning procedure, according to Pospíšil. "That does not mean that underground parking in the center is bad. It certainly is not. But we are representatives of the public and must adhere to their opinion," said Pospíšil, who has long been a proponent of the construction.
    The council's decision was welcomed by activists from the initiative I Disagree with the Creation of Underground Garages at the Vegetable Market. "It is good that the city leadership has listened to the protests of the people, experts, and conservationists," said activist Matěj Hollan. More than 5000 people signed the petition against the garages. In December, members of the scientific council of the heritage institute also spoke out against the garages.
    According to the plans of the investor Magnum Real Estate, 58 parking spaces were to be created beneath the Vegetable Market, 25 of which were for the emerging hotel. The Vegetable Market is adjacent to the historical core of Brno. Beneath its pavement are expensive reconstructed cellars and corridors.