Active citizens through the eyes of students: A referendum decides

A referendum decides – Vranov is not going to become Brno’s satellite town

Vranov near Brno is a village that is not only beautiful and pleasant, but also very unique from an urbanistic point of view. It has a rich history, as it was originally founded under a pilgrimage church and a Pauline monastery. A rather stable number of inhabitants is also characteristic for this village Thanks to that, the virtually original form of Vranov could be preserved.
According to proposed territorial changes, this unique village was about to be turned into another one of Brno’s typical satellite towns. The local authority proposed a new Zoning plan for Vranov with the aim to significantly enlarge the village and thereby change the character and structure of the village.

The plan estimated that there would be up to 520 new inhabitants in approximately 150 new houses. These changes would also significantly impact the cultural and natural values of the village. Two significant locations with the most interesting nature in Vranov were about to be built on.

The local authority was divided over the new zoning plan, but later they decided to enforce it. A majority of Vranov citizens disagreed with the interference and joined forces to fight it. They expressed their disapproval of the zoning plan to the local authority several times, but were always referred to later negotiations and meetings, while the proposal for the new zoning plan was slowly turning into reality.
At the time, a group of activists came to the village, as they could sense their loss nearing and decided not to take any chances. Their first effort was to communicate with the local authority to hold a debate with the citizens and developers, which they managed to do in spring 2013.

The citizens’ opinions on the development of the unique location did not change after the debate, the preparations for the approval of the zoning plan continued. The group of activists could not take it anymore and decided that the only and most suitable and fair way to stop the expansion of Vranov is to hold a referendum. They sent letters to the citizens of Vranov with a detailed explanation of the planned expansion of the village along with the possible consequences. They enclosed a plea for signatures for a charter that would enable them to hold the local referendum. Their effort was successful. Precise questions needed to be formulated and the referendum had to be promoted enough for it to be considered valid. In the end, questions were presented to the citizens asking their opinion if the village of Vranov should keep the total number of inhabitants below 1000 and use the autonomous powers of the village to limit building.

The referendum was held along with the municipal elections in October 2014 and was attended by 220 out of 599 eligible people. The referendum was declared to be binding, as more than 25% of all eligible voters voted YES on both questions.

As a consequence, after years of dealings and approving the new zoning plan, the local authority will have to rework it again. The owner of the plots of land at Nad Rybníkem was not satisfied with the results of the referendum. Shortly after, he enclosed his plot with a fence and thereby prevented locals and tourists from accessing the only pond in the village.
Despite these minor complications, the citizens can now finally breathe a sigh of relief. The attractive locations will not be built on, at least not in the foreseeable future, and the unique character of the village with a sustainable number of citizens will be preserved for many more years.