In Brno-Vinohrady, a sports complex is being prepared, and locals are opposed.

Brno - The Brno-based development company Properity is preparing the construction of a recreational complex in the Brno district of Vinohrady, which is to be based around a climbing center. It will also include 94 apartments for recreational accommodation, ranging from 1+kk to 4+kk in size. The developer has obtained positive opinions from all concerned authorities over three years of preparation, said Jiří Maršálek, the company's managing director, to ČTK. However, last week the district council recommended that the mayor issue a dissenting opinion, and the construction is also unpopular with the opposition.

The developer has already submitted the documentation and application for land use decision to the building authority. Maršálek expects that if the authority issues a decision, someone from the local community will appeal.

Although the company has been preparing the project for about three years, information only reached the public at the turn of the year. Mayor Jiří Čejka (independent) told ČTK that the councilors first saw it last June. "I couldn't be at that meeting, but my colleagues told the developer that they needed to supplement several things. We received the revised version at the turn of the year and were able to respond to it," said Čejka.

Only when the opposition and the public became familiar with the proposal did stronger resistance arise. The planned complex is to be built at the end of Čejkovická Street, in places where there are currently tennis courts and greenery towards Jedovnická Street. The developer states on their website that along with the climbing center, there will be spaces for fitness or aerobics, a rental of sports equipment, and recreational housing. "The collaborators and professional guarantors of the planned sports activities are former professional and representative athletes," is written on the website.

Councilors who oppose the construction are concerned about the expected negative impacts on the environment, the traffic situation, and they generally fear a reduced standard of living. "I have been at the town hall for 18 years, and we have always tried to make Vinohrady greener. We have also long said that we do not want any further development," said Čejka. Vinohrady is a housing estate that has the highest concentration of panel blocks in Brno, with more than ten stories.

According to Maršálek, the developer is proceeding in accordance with the zoning plan and the opinions of the Department of Urban Planning and Development. "We adjusted everything according to the requirements of the plan and officials and received a positive opinion. Likewise from the Department of Transportation and the police, who are transportation experts. That is what we have a zoning plan for, to allow the self-government to determine what they want on a specific piece of land," said Maršálek. According to him, the city should respect the project, which is not in conflict with the plan. He noted that the company introduced its intention to the municipality in advance and has never encountered resistance.

The councilors of the municipality are also concerned that the proclaimed recreational housing could be used as long-term accommodation. The same problem was pointed out by the opposition Christian Democrats. "The claim by the investor that this will be recreational accommodation is absurd. It helped the investor to obtain a positive opinion from the Department of Urban Planning. Everyone who lives in the housing estate knows that this is a cover. No one will go to recreate at the intersection of two four-lane roads with a view of the incinerator and between two panel housing estates, not even the most desperate," said councilor Jitka Ivičičová.