Regional Authority Revokes Building Permit for Hodonín Port

The South Moravian Regional Authority has revoked the zoning permit for the construction of a port in Hodonín, upholding a complaint filed by the environmental group Children of the Earth (Děti Země). The matter must now go back before the regional authority for a fresh review, though the ruling does not explicitly state that the Waterways Directorate will have to submit a new application.

At issue is the expansion of navigation along the Baťa Canal: this year the navigation lock in Rohatec, in the Hodonín district, was reconstructed, making it possible to extend the route to Hodonín itself. As part of this project, builders have already spent 25 million crowns converting the old harbour, which now accommodates 16 pleasure boats.

Ambitious Plans Worth 278 Million Crowns

The new port is designed to hold up to 80 boats. The project also includes two moorings for police boats and an access road with parking for 45 cars. The construction is estimated to cost 278 million crowns.

Environmentalists Oppose Development of the Floodplain

Children of the Earth opposes both the expansion of navigation and the construction of a large port. According to the group’s chairman, Miroslav Patrik, a large-scale port in Hodonín would needlessly destroy an ecologically valuable stretch of the Morava River floodplain, including meadows and floodplain forests, harming the habitats of nearly 40 specially protected species and genera of animals.

He also noted that around 80 trees would have to be cut down, and that a basin with artificial lighting would disrupt the character of the landscape and increase noise levels in the surrounding area.

The Case Has Reached the Supreme Administrative Court

Since April, the Supreme Administrative Court has also been examining the issue of harm to valuable biotopes, reviewing a cassation complaint filed by Children of the Earth against a ruling by the Regional Court in Brno. The organisation had previously lost an earlier case, in which it argued that the public interest behind the project had not been sufficiently justified.

However, the Regional Court concluded that the public interest in the construction outweighs the need for nature conservation. “The decisive public interest lies in the need to establish a sheltered harbour at the southern end of the extended Baťa Canal,” the court’s ruling states, adding that the existence of the port serves the public interest in navigation safety, property protection and environmental protection.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz