In Olomouc, height limits will cease to apply from January

Olomouc - The Olomouc City Hall has not succeeded with its cassation complaint at the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC), through which it sought to gain more time to adjust the new zoning plan that regulated the height of buildings near the historic center of the city. From January, height limits in the protective zone of the heritage reserve will temporarily cease to apply, which the court annulled in February, giving the city time until the end of the year to correct the zoning plan. The city hall was sued by Office Park Šantovka, which plans to build a 75-meter-tall Šantovka Tower in the vicinity of the center. The new zoning plan prevents the project due to height regulation.
    "We have not yet received it (the SAC ruling) officially, but we are aware of it. Therefore, we will continue with the preparation of the zoning plan amendment," said Aleš Jakubec (TOP 09), the mayor's deputy, in response to ČTK's inquiry today. The city hall argued in the complaint that the deadline for amending the zoning plan set by the court was unmanageable, but it was unsuccessful.
    According to the original schedule, the draft amendment was to be completed in May so that it could be discussed and prepared for approval at the council in January 2016. However, the preparation has fallen several months behind. "It cannot be completed on time, so height limits will cease to apply there from January. It will be governed by the building code, and of course at that moment, the investor can apply for a zoning decision. Everything will depend on the building authority," Jakubec noted. He reminded that Office Park Šantovka has already failed twice in its requests.
    The planned zoning plan amendment commissioned by the city hall from the Žaluda and Mareš office includes slightly modified height regulation of new buildings in the protective zone. The proposal allows for a height dominant that can be up to 40 meters. The city will negotiate the proposal with authorities, including the Ministry of Culture. It is not possible to estimate when it will be ready for approval. According to the initiative Citizens Against Šantovka Tower, the investor will have at least four months after the New Year to process the zoning decision.
    Marek Černý, head of the city hall's Department of Concept and Development, told ČTK that the proposed zoning plan amendment was published today and comments can be submitted until the end of November. "The next steps depend on the outcome of discussions with the relevant authorities. If they agree with the proposal, it will be possible to start its public discussion in early January 2016. Otherwise, the timeline cannot be estimated," he stated.
    According to the court, the city hall should again properly justify in the amended zoning plan why it is necessary to regulate the height of new buildings in the former Milo enterprise area, where the Šantovka Tower is planned. The legal representative of the investor argued that the city leadership has been aware of the heights of the planned buildings in the Šantovka complex since 2008 and that it had expressed support for these plans under the condition of "high architectural quality."
    Therefore, the developer started a project worth ten billion CZK, which includes a shopping center, Šantovka Tower, administrative buildings, and residential buildings. However, the construction of high buildings near the heritage reserve was banned by the Ministry of Culture, which was reflected in the new zoning plan. Along with conservationists, some experts also oppose the construction of Šantovka Tower, claiming it would damage the panorama of the historical center. The investor has an opposing view.