The planned residential quarter in the Malín district of Kutná Hora does not threaten the UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to the developer Marlo KH, which has rejected criticism of its project by the Czech National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (CNK ICOMOS), it was announced today, it points out that the project is not even located in the so-called buffer zone.
According to the committee, the project’s close proximity to a UNESCO World Heritage Site contravenes the UNESCO Recommendation on Historic Urban Landscapes and other international documents, as well as the general requirements for the protection of landscape character in the Czech legislative framework.
The company disagrees with the criticism. It argues that the project is not even part of the protection zone, the so-called buffer zone. According to the company, it is located in accordance with the Kutná Hora zoning plan in the area near the main railway station, which the town has identified as a development site for residential buildings.
“The ICOMOS statement is, according to the experts we contacted, an opinion that is not based on law. It is a completely disproportionate and basically illegal attempt to transfer the requirements for conservation areas under the Czech Heritage Act or international conventions on UNESCO World Heritage Sites to open and unprotected sections of the landscape,” says Martin Louda, the managing director of Marlo. “The national committee is certainly free to express such an opinion, but it must be said that it is completely unrelated to any valid legal rules and that it is a manipulation of public opinion,” he said.
A section of the people of Malín also disagree with the construction of the new district and have organised a protest petition. They are particularly bothered by the planned construction of four 13-storey houses, which, in their opinion, do not belong in the area. The company is defending the construction. They claim that it is a modern ecological project that will be beneficial for the town.
Mayor Lukáš Seifert (ODS) has previously said that the town hall does not have many options to influence the construction in the town. He considers it a mistake that Kutná Hora does not have a regulatory plan in addition to the zoning plan. The zoning plan lacks height restrictions for Malín. The town hall therefore wants to prepare a regulatory plan for areas that are not sufficiently protected.
Source: Marlo KH and CTK
