Referendum on shopping mall in Plzen

The inhabitants of Plzen, western Bohemia, are voting in a referendum on the construction of a huge shopping mall in the city centre. Local activists have been campaigning against the planned 35,000 square metre retail and office complex on the grounds that it will damage many small local businesses, harm the environment and increase pollution. A court enforced a referendum after Plzen city hall dismissed the idea. If the referendum goes against the planned mall, the city council will have to do its best to stop the project. This will not be an easy task since the investor has already bought a huge plot of land on which to build it.