ECM already has the zoning decision for both high-rise buildings in Pankrác

Prague - The company ECM has obtained a zoning decision for both planned high-rise buildings it wants to build on the Pankrácká plain. This was reported today by ECM's media representative Markéta Finnová. In mid-January, ECM already secured a zoning decision for a 104-meter high building in the shape of a V, which will house luxury apartments. According to Finnová, the decision for the oval hotel, which is 75 meters tall, has now also become legally valid.
    "The zoning decision for the hotel was processed under a different regime, so it became legally valid later," Finnová told ČTK. The company can now apply for a building permit.
    The zoning decision for the construction of the two high-rise buildings was issued by the Prague 4 building authority last May, but several participants in the proceedings appealed against it. The magistrate did not acknowledge their objections. There is no further appeal against the rejected appeal; the matter can only be challenged in court.
    The civic association Atelier for the Environment announced in mid-January that it would file administrative lawsuits against the building department. However, these will not have a suspensive effect, so they are unlikely to delay the issuance of the building permit.
    According to the association Arnika, Prague should take to heart the recommendations of the international UNESCO committee and demand a redesign of the project. Arnika believes that the Prague Heritage Reserve could be added to the list of endangered monuments due to the high-rises in Pankrác.
    Due to the planned construction of high-rise buildings in Pankrác, UNESCO expressed "serious concern" in 2007. Shortly thereafter, the Ministry of Culture closed the administrative proceedings regarding the skyscrapers and confirmed the magistrate's decision, which allowed the buildings. The Pankrácká plain is in the protective zone of the heritage reserve. However, it does not currently seem that Prague will be removed from the list of World Heritage sites. At a meeting in Quebec, Canada, the World Heritage Committee commended the state of care for the historic core of Prague and approved measures that the capital and the Czech Republic are taking in this area, also praising the materials received from Prague and the Czech Republic.
    The future location of the high-rise buildings in Prague should be influenced by the plan for the protection of the heritage reserve, which will include methodology for the construction of high-rise buildings in Prague. The plan is being prepared by the magistrate. The assessment of the construction will be decisive from approximately 36 viewpoints in Prague, also taking into account the entire relief of the metropolis.
    The City Epoque hotel, for which ECM has now obtained a zoning decision, will be adjacent to the so-called "V-shaped" building. The hotel will have 325 rooms, accommodating about 1,000 people, and an additional 262 parking spaces. The architect of the building is Radan Hubička. "Our aim is to create a new vibrant center of Prague 4. With the acquisition of the zoning decision for the City Epoque hotel, we are one step closer to our goal," said Petr Štyler from ECM.
    Another investor, the joint-stock company Pankrác, is also preparing to build in Pankrác. They plan to construct an administrative center, and according to the civic association Arnika, the building should be nearly 80 meters tall.