The Olomouc City Hall received a call for a building ban at Šantovka

Olomouc - Representatives of five political parties and movements have urged the Olomouc city council to issue a temporary building ban on land around the planned Šantovka Tower high-rise building near the city center. The Olomouc council did not discuss a long-prepared change to the zoning plan at the beginning of June, which was supposed to establish a height limit for buildings in the protective zone of the historical center. Height regulation in this part of Olomouc would prevent the planned construction of the 75-meter high Šantovka Tower, which has been discussed for several years.

"In the current situation, where the city council has not discussed the submitted change to the zoning plan at all, an abnormal legal vacuum allowing for the construction of a building of any height has persisted on the site of the former Mila in the protective zone of the city monument reserve for the third year," representatives from the Pirate Party, ProOlomouc movement, STAN, Green Party, and the Together movement justified their call for a temporary building ban. ČTK is seeking a statement from the Olomouc city hall.

The city council had previously considered a temporary building ban around the planned Šantovka Tower building, but ultimately abandoned it and focused on preparing a change to the zoning plan with a height limit of 23 meters. However, the last city council did not discuss the change to the zoning plan.

According to the signatories of the call, the city council should reintroduce the change to the zoning plan on the agenda of the next council meeting. "This procedure is anticipated by the building law and its aim is to prevent irreversible steps in the affected area. Specifically, it addresses the danger of permitting a high-rise building that is fundamentally at odds with the prepared change to the zoning plan," they stated.

The change to the zoning plan, which was approved in 2014, was prepared by the city hall because the height regulation for buildings was annulled by the court as of December 31, 2015. The court had given the city hall until the end of 2015 to better justify the permitted height of buildings in the zoning plan. However, the adjustment to the zoning plan was delayed, so the height limits ceased to be effective as of January 2016.

The construction of high-rise buildings in the protective zone of the monument reserve was banned by the Ministry of Culture, which was reflected in the new zoning plan from 2014 as well as in the proposal for its additional change. The investor of Šantovka Tower submitted nine objections against the prepared change. The proposal presented at the beginning of June to the council planned for their rejection. In the end, it was not approved, so no vote was held on the change to the zoning plan.

The lawyer for the Šantovka Tower investor, Rostislav Pekař, had previously argued that the city management had been aware of the heights of the planned buildings since 2008 and had expressed support for these plans under the condition of "high architectural quality." According to him, the original zoning plan did not regulate the height of new buildings in this part of the city, and the city hall had been informed that the investor wanted to build houses up to 29 meters high and the Šantovka Tower high-rise building.

The Šantovka Tower has long been a topic of heated discussion in Olomouc. Its construction is opposed by heritage conservationists and some experts, who claim it could damage the historical panorama of Olomouc. The investor has a contrary opinion.