Opposition demands the convening of the council due to Šantovka Tower

Olomouc - The opposition movement ProOlomouc is demanding a rapid convening of an extraordinary city council and the issuance of a building ban on the land near the center of Olomouc, where the Šantovka Tower skyscraper is planned to be built. This was stated in an open letter addressed to the city hall leadership. Tomáš Pejpek, chairman of ProOlomouc, announced this to Czech News Agency today. According to him, there is a risk that the city hall will issue a zoning decision for the controversial Šantovka Tower project as early as May, thus granting the developer an important stamp for its planned investment.

According to the schedule of meetings, the Olomouc city councilors are to meet on June 16. At the extraordinary meeting, the council is expected to discuss the prepared amendment to the zoning plan of Olomouc, which will set height limits for properties in the vicinity of the historic city center, thus preventing the construction of the Šantovka Tower. Pejpek reminded that previous attempts to include this item on the agenda of earlier councils failed. Two requests for an extraordinary city council meeting were also unsuccessful.

The construction of the Šantovka Tower has been a topic of discussion in Olomouc for years. Heritage protectors and some experts oppose it, claiming it would damage the historic panorama of the city. The investor argues the opposite and highlighted last fall that the city committed to collaborate on the Šantovka project in a contract from 2010.

According to an earlier statement from the city hall, it was not possible to discuss the amendment to the zoning plan so far, as the Ministry of Culture unexpectedly announced at the beginning of this year that it is reconsidering its earlier opinion on the prepared amendment to the zoning plan, which was supposed to reintroduce height limits.

The Ministry of Culture, headed by former Olomouc mayor Antonín Staněk (Social Democrats), was supposed to inform the city by the end of April whether it would confirm its previous position or issue a new one. "The procedure is governed by law, which states that the material is submitted at the moment when the process is complete. This moment has not yet arrived," said Marek Černý, the head of the city's planning and development department, to the councilors in March.

City hall spokesman Michal Folta told Czech News Agency today that the city has not yet received a statement from the Ministry of Culture. "The Planning Office has already requested a response from the ministry twice, but unsuccessfully," he stated. According to him, the city is preparing documents for the discussion of the amendment to the zoning plan of Olomouc. "They will be presented at the next council meeting," he added.

According to Pejpek, the proposal for the amendment to the zoning plan of Olomouc has been properly discussed and there is nothing preventing it from being presented to the council. Pejpek, referencing official correspondence, claims that according to the Ministry of Regional Development and the regional office, the head of the city hall department, Černý, is committing illegal obstruction by repeatedly preventing the council from discussing the amendment to the zoning plan.

The construction of high-rise buildings in the protected zone of the monument reserve in Olomouc was banned by the Ministry of Culture years ago, which was reflected in the zoning plan from 2014. The height regulation was subsequently overturned by the court. The council did not discuss the amendment to the zoning plan last year, and the council did not approve a temporary building ban either.