The court decided on the postponement of the territorial verdict for Šantovka Tower

Olomouc - The Olomouc Regional Court granted a suspensive effect to the lawsuit against the zoning decision for the construction of the controversial Šantovka Tower in the protected zone of the heritage reserve in Olomouc. The building permit process cannot be initiated yet. The court thus accepted the former ombudswoman Anna Šabatová's complaint, who filed a lawsuit against the Olomouc City Hall in February. According to Šabatová, the officials violated several laws when deciding on Šantovka Tower. This is reported by Czech Radio.

The suspensive effect for Šantovka Tower was confirmed by Judge Zuzana Šnejdrlová. "The effects of the contested decision are suspended until the proceedings before the regional court are concluded. For example, the building permit process cannot be initiated," said the judge. The Olomouc City Hall has already received the court's decision. "We are preparing a statement with our representative legal office," said city hall spokesperson Radka Štědrá.

Šabatová justified the lawsuit filed in the public interest in mid-February by stating that the Olomouc building authority approved the placement of the approximately 74-meter-high Šantovka Tower based on illegal binding opinions and in violation of the zoning plan. According to Šabatová, the City Hall's decision violated, for example, the law on state heritage care and the law on the protection of nature and the landscape, and its actions raise serious doubts about systematic impartiality. According to Šabatová, the high-rise building could irreversibly damage the historical panorama of the city’s heritage reserve.

The zoning decision for the Šantovka Tower project became legally effective before the lawsuit was filed. The investor could apply for a building permit and start construction. Therefore, the ombudswoman requested the Regional Court in Ostrava to prioritize the handling of the lawsuit and also to grant a suspensive effect to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed by Šabatová against the city hall's decision regarding the placement of the Šantovka Tower adjacent to the historical core of Olomouc was not prepared by the project's developer in accordance with standard procedures and raises doubts. Investor spokesperson Juraj Aláč claims that there are no grounds for canceling the zoning decision for the Šantovka Tower project. "Therefore, we are preparing our detailed statement regarding the lawsuit, where we will focus, among other things, on facts that were clearly unknown to the ombudswoman at the time of filing the lawsuit,” Aláč told Czech Radio. According to Aláč, the investor is still working on preparing the application for a building permit.