The Olympia expansion according to the authority will not harm the environment, people are protesting

Brno - The further expansion of the Olympia shopping center in Brno will not harm the environment according to the regional office and will not have a negative impact on the people living nearby. Some of them protested against the additional construction, mainly due to increased noise and dust from traffic. However, if the investor meets the stipulated conditions, the surroundings will not be negatively affected by the expansion, the regional office stated in a position regarding the construction published online.
    Olympia Brno is currently the second-largest shopping center in the Czech Republic. It includes about 130 stores, a hypermarket, a multiplex cinema, restaurants, and cafes. Approximately 8,000 cars and 450 trucks visit the area daily. After the planned expansion, this number could increase by up to 40 percent, with around 1,000 trucks and over 10,000 cars. Additionally, thousands of cars also drive daily to the nearby Avion Shopping Park.
    "Although the increase in noise pollution from traffic is assessed as relatively significant, there will be no (...) exceeding permissible values of equivalent noise levels at the nearest protected buildings," states the author of the documentation for the expansion of Olympia, Alexandr Mertl, in his statement to the regional office. His conclusions were confirmed by the regional office as well. However, Olympia must meet nearly forty conditions, ranging from building sound barriers to restricting nighttime lighting.
    People from the surrounding area and environmentalists are not reassured by this. They point out that, for example, traffic towards Modřice will increase by a quarter, with more than a tenth of that consisting of trucks.
    In the past, Modřice has already rejected further construction in the industrial zone at the opposite end of the municipality. Unlike the zone, the expansion of the shopping center is included in the land use plan. The decision on the construction will now be made by the building authority; it usually follows the position of the regional office, but this is not binding.