Developers are concerned about the emerging Prague zoning plan

Prague - Development companies are concerned that the emerging Prague Metropolitan Plan will further complicate construction in the capital city. This was stated today at the Žofín Forum, attended by representatives of developers, the professional public, and the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), which is preparing the new Prague zoning plan. Companies are worried about the so-called dual-level nature of the prepared document. The Metropolitan Plan is expected to be approved by the end of 2022.

The prepared plan assumes that the so-called large plan will be conceived relatively generally, and especially in large undeveloped areas and brownfields, it will gradually be complemented by small plans approved by local self-governments.

According to the former director of IPR, Petr Hlaváček, creating another single-level plan with specific functional definitions for all areas in the metropolis is unrealistic in Prague's political environment and the given timeframe. "If you continue to push for it, the whole matter will only be delayed," he stated to the representatives of the development companies. "There could be 80,000 comments, and we would never finish it," added the current director of IPR, Ondřej Boháč. According to him, 16,000 comments have already arrived regarding the current proposal.

According to the building law, Prague is the only city where, in addition to a general zoning plan, smaller plans for clearly defined areas can also be issued. According to IPR, this has the advantage that even before the second level of regulation is approved, it will be possible to intervene in the area structurally, whereas in the case of other tools, such as a regulatory plan, this is not possible. However, developers fear that this will not work in practice. "It is naive to think that a second level of planning can be carried out alongside ongoing development," said the CEO of Central Group, Ladislav Váňa.

At the same time, he warned that municipal districts would want to prepare a more detailed level of the plan even in areas other than large development sites, which would lead to blockage and further prolonging the already lengthy preparation of construction projects. A similar concern was expressed by the director of Sekyra Group, Leoš Andrle.

According to Pavel Křeček, chairman of the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Active in Construction (ČKAIT), the "large" plan is formulated too generally and will be easily legally contestable. He also pointed out that it inadequately addresses infrastructure. "Our chamber proposes that one layer of the plan be dedicated to the underground," he stated, noting that Prague is significantly developing underground with tunnels, collectors, parking capacities, and other infrastructure.

IPR is expected to submit the revised proposal of the Metropolitan Plan to the city hall by the end of this September. The document is set to go into discussion with municipal districts in March next year. The creation of the new plan began in the previous electoral term under Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (then TOP 09). It was originally supposed to be completed by 2020. The zoning plan determines where construction is allowed and where public spaces or greenery will remain. The preparation of the new plan has been criticized in the past by representatives of some municipal offices, experts, and heritage protectors.