Developer received a zoning decision for the construction near the station in Žižkov

Image, Discovery Group Archive

Prague - The Prague City Hall has confirmed the issuance of a zoning decision for a development project in close proximity to the Žižkov freight station. The development company Discovery Group announced this in a press release today. The Prague authorities were unable to provide a statement to ČTK. The project, against which some residents of Žižkov and local councilors are protesting, still needs to obtain a building permit.
    "We are pleased with this decision. This process has concluded our more than five-year effort to create a new urban center for Prague 3 in the space of the former and unused station," said the company's director, Jonathan Wilkinson. The construction is said to "breathe new life into the neglected area."
    The city hall made its decision on the zoning decision based on an appeal filed by the Žižkov town hall and other participants in the proceedings against the decision of the local building authority. According to them, the project is oversized. They consider its location next to the monument-protected building of the station to be inappropriate. Local Greens claim that the huge construction will overwhelm the already overloaded area with more traffic and destroy a unique biotope where biologists have found 30 protected species of plants and animals.
    The Discovery Group plans to build a large shopping center with offices, apartments, and parking spaces for 250 million euros (6.75 billion CZK). The first phase of the project will affect land areas totaling 140,000 square meters. Nearby, the company Žižkov Station Development, which includes Czech Railways and Sekyra Group, also plans to build.