People from Prague 5 criticized the planned construction of the station in Smíchov

Prague - Residents of Prague 5 today criticized the planned construction in the area of Smíchov Railway Station during a public meeting. The developer Sekyra Group plans to build apartments and offices here. The residents were concerned about issues such as unresolved transportation, criticized the construction preparation process, and the planned population density. The developer representatives rejected some of the objections. It is unclear when construction will begin in Smíchov. The mayor, Adriana Krnáčová (ANO), also attended the event for a while but did not participate in the discussion.

Architect and resident of Prague 5 Jiří Gebert criticized the way the project was developed. The problem, he said, is that the city did not create a development idea; instead, the area is to be developed according to the developer's plan. "This is something that has never happened here before, and it looks like it. The whole matter should be canceled," he said. He also criticized the presented visualizations and the size of the courtyard blocks. "These are not yards, but light wells," he said. He compared the population density to having Beroun standing at Karlovo náměstí.

Other residents criticized the transportation solutions. This was also supported by Prague 5 councilor Tomáš Homola (DJK), who pointed out that the presented study does not address the needs of public transportation.

Developer representative Leoš Anderle stated that the visualizations are not misleading. "The architectural competition was legitimate; we did not have a majority on the jury; architects and the city had the majority," said Anderle. He also rejected the claim that the population density is high, arguing that it is comparable to other areas of Prague. He also dismissed the objection that the planned buildings are too tall.

According to Anderle, construction could begin from Knížecí heading south. However, it is currently unclear when the construction will start, as the developer has not yet completed the design for the first stage of construction.

Residents were also interested in whether it is possible to restart the entire process of preparation for the development from the beginning at this moment. "Unfortunately, that is not possible," said the deputy mayor Petra Kolínská (SZ/Trpopjkoalice).

The project is set to include several parks, such as a school park near the planned school, residential and office buildings, and a boulevard. Anderle stated that the company is extending the existing streets. The buildings will not have slanted roofs. "We are replacing them with receding floors," said Anderle.

On an area of 25 hectares, there will be about 143,000 m2 of residential space and 139,000 m2 of office space; the rest will include shops or public institutions. The block buildings will be divided into residential entrances. It is unclear when construction will commence.