The Greens in Ústí do not want another hypermarket in the city center

Ústí nad Labem - The Ústeckým Greens are against the construction of another hypermarket which is planned to be built in the center of Ústí nad Labem near Spolchemie. They argue that there are already enough similar stores in the regional city. Moreover, they claim that the hypermarket will lead to a significant increase in traffic in this area. Therefore, they have started collecting signatures for a petition against hypermarkets in the center of Ústí. "Initially, we estimated that we would gather around 3,500 signatures," said Dušan Oslej, chairman of the Ústí city organization of the Greens, to reporters today. Ústí nad Labem has approximately 97,000 residents.
    Petition sheets are currently available to members and supporters of the party, who will continue to distribute them. There are no fixed locations yet where the petition will be available for signing. The campaign is expected to last until the end of February. If there is interest among citizens, we can extend the collection of signatures, Oslej noted.
    According to him, the Greens believe that the issued territorial decision is in violation of the law, as it did not respect the rights of all participants in the territorial proceedings. One person has already contacted the Greens and informed them that they filed a complaint with the regional office. CTK was unable to reach this complainant. City spokesman Milan Knotek told CTK that the territorial decision was issued on December 4 last year. It is fully in line with the city's zoning plan and is valid, stated the spokesman.
    In the area where a shopping center is slated to be built by the end of 2008, there are about twenty houses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After years of devastation, some buildings have begun to come to life. The Greens point out that many houses have been renovated, and some now house shops and other businesses. The Greens emphasize that there are already many new buildings being erected in the city center, including shopping centers. For instance, the Zdar Palace on Mírové Square, or Forum by the church with the slanted tower. They are concerned that some of the new structures may remain empty.
    The Greens in Ústí nad Labem have 55 members. In last year's municipal elections, they were unsuccessful: they only secured one district councilor. However, there were times when they had representation in the district councils and a deputy mayor.