Green Party will propose to Brno representatives to declare a referendum on the railway station

Brno - The Green Party in Brno will propose at Tuesday's city council meeting to include in the agenda the declaration of a referendum on the location of the main train station at the time of the municipal elections. This was announced to journalists today by the chairman of the Brno Greens, Martin Ander. According to him, tens of thousands of people have already expressed their support for holding the referendum, and the councilors should take this into account regardless of whether the activists have gathered enough signatures for its proclamation.
    The civic alliance Referendum 2014 has been trying to initiate the referendum. They submitted a petition to the magistrate with more than 20,000 signatures, although about 18,500 are needed. However, the magistrate did not recognize over 8,000 signatures because some of the signers were not 18 years old, had signed twice, or were not residents of Brno. Activists have thus filed a lawsuit against the city.
    "The magistrate can declare a referendum at its own discretion regardless of the petition. That is what we will strive for, because we cannot ignore the number of people who want the referendum," Ander stated. Thus, the Greens will present a proposal at the council meeting, which the councilors will then vote on regarding its inclusion. If the item is added to the agenda, the councilors will decide on its approval.
    The Greens may receive support from TOP 09. "We support the referendum, but it must have clearly formulated questions. Both options for the location of the station are possible, so let the people say where they want it," said Jaroslav Kacer, the candidate for mayor from TOP 09, to ČTK.
    In contrast, the leader of KDU-ČSL, Klára Liptáková, is against it. "If the activists gathered the signatures, we would have to accept the referendum. Otherwise, we are against the magistrate declaring it. We are going back 20 years. Many studies have been created during this time, and expert opinions talk about the relocation. Brno needs to start building the station, not to continuously reconsider the question of its location," emphasized Liptáková. The coalition shares a similar opinion.
    The railway station has long been a topic of discussion in Brno. According to many, it is a disgrace to the city. The magistrate has prepared project documentation for relocating the station about 800 meters to the south towards Zvonařka, but there is also consideration of relocating it about 150 meters below Petrov. The current coalition of ČSSD and ODS favors moving it to the bus station, but they have stated that they will support the option chosen by the Ministry of Transport. Activists oppose the relocation and propose a new public competition, which, however, the city leadership and some other politicians consider unnecessary delays.
    The modernization of the main train station in Brno is estimated to cost around 20 billion crowns.