The magistrate threatened Prague 5: Repair Buďánek, or we will take it from you

Prague - The leadership of the capital city has given the Prague 5 municipality an ultimatum regarding the reconstruction of the Buďánka settlement. The city council has decided today that the district has 60 days to address the deficiencies in the process of repairing the former workers' colony. If Prague 5 fails to do so, the magistrate will revoke its management of the settlement and take care of it themselves. Prague councillors also determined that Prague 5 has neglected the care for Buďánka in the past. This was reported by ČTK based on materials approved by the Prague councillors.
    The city's leadership began to take an interest in the settlement back in February this year when it called on Prague 5 to submit all documents related to the reconstruction of the former workers' colony. The reason is the poor condition in which the settlement has been for years. Buďánka belongs to the capital city, but since the 1990s, it has been managed by the Prague 5 municipality.
    The district has already sent a letter to the magistrate explaining its approach and planned repairs. The Prague 5 councillors also approved the repairs today. Back in December 2013, they terminated a preliminary contract with the company Geosan, which was supposed to carry out the construction there.
    Now, the plan is to develop a cultural center out of Buďánka. The dilapidated houses are to be repaired, and at the sites of those that have already collapsed or been demolished, the municipality intends to build new ones with the same layout and volume - but they will not be copies of the originals. "The first step will be an inspection of all buildings by a structural engineer. Subsequently, we plan to conduct geodetic measurements, geological surveys, and construction-technical and construction-historical surveys. The first building to be reconstructed should be the former dairy building without a house number," stated Prague 5 councillor Jiří Vejmelka.
    There have been several attempts in the past to revitalize the settlement, but none of them have been realized. On the contrary, in 2004, under the controversial former mayor Milan Jančík, Prague 5 had half of the houses demolished. Buďánka is an original workers' colony, which is a remnant of how workers lived in Smíchov in the 19th century. It has been declared a protected monument zone since 1991.