IPR is to find a location for the new seat of the Prague City Hall

Prague - The Institute of Planning and Development, established by Prague, is to prepare proposals by July regarding which buildings the city hall could move into or where its new Prague headquarters could be located. This follows a resolution from the councilors. In the past, various options have been discussed regarding where to relocate hundreds of officials. At the current premises, the Škodův Palace, the city hall pays 200 million crowns a year and has unsuccessfully sought a reduction in rent. The city leadership is involved in a legal dispute with the building's owners due to this.
    In the past, two projects have been discussed that Prague could invest in to build its own city hall building. According to a study commissioned last year, an administrative building, which would also include a shopping center, was planned to be constructed above the Florenc metro station. Similarly, in the case of the Národní třída metro station, repairs to the Florenc station itself were also considered. Similar plans exist for the Na Knížecí bus station, where the Sekyra Group plans substantial construction in its vicinity.
    Councilor Michal Hašek (ANO), however, told ČTK that neither of the two options is currently on the agenda, although he did not rule out that the city leadership might address them in the future. "The existing spaces for the Prague City Hall are unsustainable in the long term, but we are currently dealing with more pressing issues," he stated. "Both studies have been shelved by the new political establishment, and we continue to pay inflated amounts for Škodův Palace," criticized the current situation by opposition councilor and former property councilor Eva Vorlíčková (independent).
    The former city leadership moved the majority of city hall officials into Škodův Palace in 2006. Over 20 years, Prague will thus pay more than four billion crowns in rent. Additionally, after the relocation of officials, many buildings in Prague, including a group of historical houses near the Old Town Square, were left unused. Recently, the councilors decided to have an analysis conducted to determine how utilized these buildings are and how much the city earns from their rental.
    The former council, led by ex-mayor Tomáš Hudeček (independent), unsuccessfully tried to obtain a rent reduction for Škodův Palace through the courts. The current mayor, Adriana Krnáčová (ANO), stated at the end of last year that going to court is not the best way. Subsequently, an email communication was leaked to the public, in which it was agreed that the owner would pay the city for lawyers in case of a settlement.