The vision of the Brno sports complex Ponava is unrealistic

Brno - The vision of the Ponava sports complex, as promoted by the previous city councils in Brno, is considered unrealistic by the current mayor Roman Onderka. If the city hall wanted to implement it, it would become indebted for decades. The planning itself, preparation of the buildings, and necessary land acquisitions would take at least ten years, the mayor told ČTK today.
    A sports and leisure complex was to be established in the Ponava area. Today, there is a dilapidated football stadium that the city hall wants to renovate, and a neglected swimming stadium that it plans to convert into a water park. Besides smaller sports facilities like tennis courts, the Ponava complex was also supposed to include an ice hockey stadium. Once, there used to be a stadium on the site, the remains of which the city hall had demolished during this electoral term.
    According to Onderka, the lands under the former stadium still need to find a purpose. The city hall is supposed to announce an architectural and urban competition, but that is a task for the next leadership of Brno that will emerge from the autumn elections. “I considered at one time that we would address this area with architect (Jan) Kaplický. There was talk of a relatively tall building, I would say a skyscraper,” Onderka described. According to him, a footbridge was to lead from the complex to Lužánky Park. However, with Kaplický's death, the plans were derailed.
    Supporters of the Ponava project wanted to build an ice hockey hall in the same place again. However, Onderka is against it and plans to build a multi-purpose sports hall with ice for hockey in the west of Brno near the Masaryk University campus. According to him, investing in a multi-purpose hall is more efficient and economical. “I am not aware of a standalone hockey hall being built in Europe in the last five years, considering its operation,” Onderka said. The multi-purpose hall can also be used to host concerts and other events. In that case, it must have separate parking.
    According to the mayor, parking, along with the transport service to the complex, is the biggest shortcoming of the Ponava vision. Its supporters argue that hockey and football are almost never played at the same time, so one parking lot would suffice for both halls. However, according to the mayor, the multi-purpose hall would be in use year-round, and sharing parking lots is not permitted by regulations.
    “It would be necessary to build as many parking spaces as there are events taking place simultaneously in all stadiums,” he stated. In total, considering the swimming stadium, courts, and hotel, 60,000 visitors would need to be accommodated. “You end up in a position where you're going (with parking) five floors underground. No investor will go for that,” Onderka said.