The proposal for the new Brno land use plan is receiving criticism for the nature of the construction

Brno – The discussion of the revised proposal for the new zoning plan of Brno began today at the Brno Exhibition Centre, which can be commented on until June 29. Criticism is already emerging from some areas where people primarily dislike the nature of the construction. However, the most problematic aspect is the delineation of the new city hospital in the grounds of the Brno University of Technology at Kraví hora. The university disagrees with this. The area needs to be designated as green space again, which could entail another public discussion, for which there is no time, said Filip Chvátal (KDU-ČSL), councilor for urban planning, to ČTK.

"Currently, I am preparing legal opinions on the question of what constitutes a significant change to the zoning plan that generates a public discussion. We will have answers by the end of the month. If a new public discussion were necessary, it would have to be in a very reduced form; we cannot meet the standard. Another option would be to discuss the most pressing issues at a council meeting along with the approval of the plan," Chvátal said.

The current zoning plan has been in effect since 1994, and its validity will expire next year. The proposal for the new zoning plan for the first public discussion was presented about a year ago, and it received 36,000 comments and objections. The team from the Office of the City Architect of Brno and the city leadership has spent a year addressing and incorporating these comments. "There is no more important conceptual material for Brno and its wider surroundings right now than the new zoning plan. If the zoning plan is not adopted by the end of 2022, Brno would face uncontrollable chaos or something like a construction moratorium, a rapid rise in housing prices, and a blockage of strategic and important constructions. No one knows on what basis the building authorities would then decide," Chvátal added.

Representatives of the district of Ořešín believe that their comments have not been taken into account in the revised proposal. "We want to be defined as a village so that there is no threat of land being developed in a way that does not fit here at all. The current proposal allows, for example, the construction of tall buildings. We also demanded a ban on construction in the second rows, where houses do not have direct access to the road. This has not been resolved either. We have prepared our comments again and will send them; if necessary, we could address the matter through legal review, separation is a last resort," said the mayor of the district, Jan Levíček.

Residents of the district of Přízřenice, where about 1,000 people live, also demand a change in future construction. "The proposal anticipates a new neighborhood for 14,000 residents; moreover, we do not like the expansion of industry even beyond the railway. We want to agree on a compromise, but if our comments, like during the first discussion, are not taken into account, separation is the only way to govern ourselves," said community representative Jakub Holas. He added that communication also struggles with the Brno-south district municipality, under which the neighborhood falls.

According to Chvátal, detaching certain parts from Brno does not make sense. "I would expect that these issues should first be resolved at a common table, which we have been striving for with all the city districts continuously over the past two years. We are negotiating intensively with the representatives of Ořešín to address their concerns about the possibility of building taller buildings than is typical for the character of Ořešín. We are submitting a joint document this week to the leadership meeting," he noted.

Michal Závodský, chairman of the Masaryk Quarter Civic Association, stated that only a fraction of his 33 comments are taken into account in the revised proposal. He disagrees, for example, with allowing the set minimum amount of greenery to be met merely by placing it on the roof without any trees. He also criticizes that Míru Square and the nearby military area are to be used for residential construction. The Nesehnutí movement also draws attention to the issue of greenery, suggesting, for example, adjusting the greenery coefficient or demanding an increase in the protection of green courtyards.

Even though the work on the plan does not end with the public discussion and the process of addressing objections and comments will follow again, according to Chvátal, the zoning plan is a compromise of all interests and it is not possible to meet all demands.