Liberec will extend the preparation of the new zoning plan by a year

Liberec - The preparation of a new zoning plan in Liberec will be extended by a year, which will address the city's development over the next 20 to 30 years. The city hall wanted to have the new zoning plan approved by this June, but due to uncertainties in the amendment to the building law, it will likely be issued only in mid-2015. The mayor's assistant Jiří Rutkovský (Union for Sport and Health) informed ČTK about this today.
    The amendment to the building law that took effect last year changed the conditions for preparing a zoning plan, according to the assistant. "However, this amendment does not clearly define how to proceed in cases where a draft zoning plan has already been prepared and objections and comments have been raised, just as with the discussed proposal for the zoning plan of Liberec," Rutkovský stated. The city hall has turned to the region and the Ministry for Regional Development for help, and their statements suggest that Liberec must have the draft decisions regarding the objections and comments revised again.
    "If we ignore the clear recommendations from the region and the ministry, the zoning plan could be legally challenged, and all the work would be in vain," the assistant warned. According to him, a total of 2,000 draft decisions must be redrafted. The city hall, for example, must address the protests of people from Ostašov, who are unhappy with the proposed route of the collector transport road and the plan for building an industrial zone.
    The current zoning plan dates back to 2002, and its validity expires in 2020. Liberec has been preparing a new one since 2007. Unlike other cities of similar size, the hundred-thousand-strong Liberec has limited development options. The city is bordered by the Jizera Mountains and the Ještěd ridge. These are forested areas that are protected and cannot be built upon. The possibility of building on high-quality agricultural land is also limited. Additionally, Liberec is unique for its green belts that extend from the mountain ranges and divide the built-up areas in the city. Nevertheless, the new zoning plan also accounts for further development - it is estimated that the population of the city will increase from the current approximately 102,000 to 106,000 by 2030.