The councilors of Brno want to have a sports hall in the area of Western Gate

Brno - Brno city councillors today approved the intention to build a multi-purpose hall associated with a shopping center in an area known as the Western Gate. The investment, amounting to approximately two billion crowns, should be covered by a private investor, while the city will contribute its land, said Mayor Roman Onderka to journalists today. Originally, the land was of interest to Brno academics, who wanted to establish the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) here. According to Onderka, the city will try to find other plots for them. Rector of Masaryk University Petr Fiala told ČTK that the plots were crucial for the project, but he welcomes the city's management's efforts to continue negotiations.
    According to the councillors' decision, a multi-purpose hall for 10,000 spectators should be built on the disputed land, primarily serving hockey and basketball players. The complex would include a shopping center, which is lacking in an area surrounded by several housing estates. According to Onderka, more than 50,000 people who either live or work nearby could come here to shop.
    The first company has expressed interest in the investment. It is West Tor, which owns other plots in the vicinity. The city's council's intention is now to attract more entrepreneurs and select the best project from them, Onderka stated.
    Today's councillor decision complicates the situation for Brno universities, which intended to establish a Central European research center on the plots in close proximity to Brno University Hospital and the Masaryk University campus. The institutions, where scientists would focus on biotechnology, intend to build this facility with European funds. During a recent visit to Brno, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek expressed support for the project.
    "I do not expect that anyone from Brussels would want to make a land-use plan for Brno or deal with land issues of the city," reacted the mayor today. He added that the areas in the Western Gate are reserved in the land-use plan for commercial activities, and he will negotiate with the rectors of Brno universities about alternative plots for their project. An alternative land could potentially be found in the area of Pod Palackého vrchem near the student campus of the Brno University of Technology.
    Rector Fiala stated that he believes in finding an optimal solution and argued that the CEITEC project would bring new jobs and facilitate the arrival of investors to Brno. "I understand the city's management's efforts to ensure accessibility to the commercial network and the offer of sports activities for its residents," he noted in response to the councillors' decision. However, he added that a private company is already building administrative-commercial spaces between the campus and the nearby Moravian State Archives, and the sports hall was originally planned to be built next to the Faculty of Sports Studies at the campus.
    The councillors' decision still needs to be confirmed by the Brno city representatives. They will meet next week.