Architects are not happy with the area in front of the train station in Plzeň; they say that the asphalt was requested by the Czech Railways

Plzeň - Architects from the Pěstuj prostor association in Plzeň demand discussion with both professionals and laypeople regarding new buildings. They are not satisfied with, for example, the finishing touches to the area in front of the main train station, a heritage-protected Art Nouveau passenger building from 1907. According to the city management, the asphalt area, nearly devoid of greenery and other aesthetically pleasing elements, was requested by České dráhy for the buses providing replacement transport. The space lacks the purpose it had over 100 years ago when it was conceived as the gateway to the city; the completed design is very utilitarian and a wasted opportunity, architect Petr Klíma told ČTK.

According to his colleague Marek Sivák, the entire area did not need to be asphalted. "The forecourt could have been done in paving," he stated. According to the architects, in the West, it is common for pedestrians and traffic to function on a single surface made of paving. They also cited another example of "concrete spots," specifically the area of hundreds of square meters of concrete paving in the Skvrňany district near the former Volha shopping center, where there are only a few trees. "No one sits on the benches there, it's an incredibly sad place," Sivák said. The money saved on a quality project, according to him, was swallowed up by the unsightly paving, which also does not fulfill environmental functions such as absorption and use of rainwater.

"This is a project (the renovation of the area in front of the station) that is over ten years old," said Petr Náhlík, the deputy mayor for transport and the environment. According to him, there will be trees planted there, but they will not be planted in hot summer, but in autumn. Where one walks through the underpass from Americká street, the planting of about 18 trees is planned, he stated.

"The original project was carried by České dráhy, which owned the properties until July 2016, after which they were taken over by SŽDC. A fundamental requirement at that time from the railways and the police was that buses for replacement transport could park in the area in front of the station," Náhlík noted. Even though the city will build a bus terminal Šumavská next to the station by the end of the year, it will be fully occupied by regular traffic. The Plzeň railway hub, including the station building, will be undergoing reconstruction for several more years, and there will be many disruptions. Besides the bus parking lot, there will be 63 spaces for cars.