Approval of the change of the zoning plan at Šantovka in Olomouc will be delayed

Olomouc - The approval of the change to the zoning plan of Olomouc, which aims to establish height limits for properties in the vicinity of the historic city center and thus prevent the planned construction of the controversial Šantovka Tower, will face further delays. The Ministry of Culture, headed by former Olomouc mayor Antonín Staněk (ČSSD), wants to reassess its previous opinion on the proposed change to the zoning plan. Until the ministry provides its statement, the material cannot be submitted for approval to the city council. The zoning procedure for the placement of the Šantovka Tower can therefore continue in the meantime.

Today, Marek Černý, head of the transportation and urban development department at the municipal office, informed reporters about the ministry's approach. In previous years, the ministry banned high-rise buildings in Olomouc on plots next to the heritage conservation area. Now it wants to consider reassessing its position.

According to Černý, the change to the zoning plan has been publicly discussed and is prepared. In the plots in the Šantovka area, a height limit of 23 meters will be established, while the Šantovka Tower is expected to measure 76 meters. "One of the concerned bodies, the Ministry of Culture, has essentially declared that it will consider the possibility of reassessing its position,” Černý stated.

He mentioned that the ministry should inform the municipal office whether it has reassessed its position or insists on the original one. "Until we have this response, we cannot submit the change to the zoning plan to the council,” Černý pointed out, noting that the ministry has labeled the issue of the change to the zoning plan as very complex and indicated that a response could be expected as late as April.

Representatives of the opposition movement ProOlomouc called for an expedited discussion of the zoning plan change at the council meeting in February. According to ProOlomouc, there is a risk that the investor of the Šantovka Tower will soon obtain the necessary permits. "The zoning procedure for the Šantovka Tower is ongoing. Currently, it is interrupted, but it is expected to resume soon, and then an area decision could be issued within six to eight weeks according to legal deadlines. That would mean a definitive green light for the Šantovka Tower. Therefore, the March council meeting could already be too late,” ProOlomouc warned in a statement.

The construction has been debated in Olomouc for years. Heritage conservationists and some experts disagree with it, claiming that it would damage the city's historical panorama. The investor asserts the opposite and last autumn alerted the city council that the city committed to collaborating on the Šantovka project in a contract from 2010. "I believe that we have convinced the council that our opinion is correct, and I believe that this endless story will soon have a happy resolution,” Richard Morávek from SMC Development told reporters today after a meeting with representatives of the city council and the opposition.

The construction of high-rise buildings in the protective zone of the heritage conservation area in Olomouc was prohibited by the Ministry of Culture years ago, which was reflected in the 2014 zoning plan. The height regulation was then annulled by the court. The city council did not discuss the change to the zoning plan last year, and the council did not approve a temporary construction ban near the center either.