Liberec heritage conservators seek help from the ministry

Liberec - The Liberec branch of the National Heritage Institute requested the Ministry of Culture to intervene due to the inaction of the Regional Office of the Liberec Region concerning the construction of the social and commercial center Liberec Plaza. The heritage officials asked the region in January to examine the municipality's decision regarding the construction. However, the response from the office came after the legally established deadline. In addition, the office informed the heritage officials that it found no reasons to initiate a review process. Jiří Křížek, a heritage official, informed ČTK about this today.
    "We believe that there are still deficiencies on the part of the city regarding the issuance of the decision, and therefore we insist on its annulment," Křížek added. According to the heritage officials, the municipality made a mistake when issuing the zoning decision because the project does not respect the decree relating to the historical core of Liberec and the heritage zone. The new construction will reduce the social use of the heritage zone, disturb the city's appearance, and increase traffic burden in the area. Furthermore, the project ignores the building development at Šaldovo náměstí, warn the heritage officials. "Since the beginning of urban development in Liberec, the area has never been built upon and partially served as public greenery, as evidenced by period photographs," Křížek pointed out. He added that the construction contradicts the historical development and value of the heritage zone.
    A petition against the giant complex was created last autumn, signed by nearly 5,000 people. Opponents of the construction also turned to the public defender of rights for help. The ombudsman advised them to request a review of the zoning decision from the regional office, just like the heritage officials. "We have already done that, but we have not received any response either. Today we will bring a new request, this time signed by 15 out of 39 councilors," added Zuzana Kocumová, a member of the Liberec council, noting that the construction is in conflict with the valid zoning plan and encroaches on areas of public greenery.
    The new shopping center is expected to be built near the historic town hall at the site of the failed Gallery Galas project from the early 1990s. The original investor went bankrupt, leaving Šaldovo náměstí plagued by a huge pit filled with water for over ten years. Last autumn, Plaza Centers presented a plan to construct a large commercial and entertainment center at the location for approximately 900 million crowns, which will include an underground parking lot. For the hectare of land it acquired from the city, it offered 40 million crowns. Since Christmas, it has also had the zoning decision. The investor has already fenced off the construction site and started preparations for the construction.