The Šárka department store in Prague 6 is set to be demolished, to be replaced by an apartment building

Prague - The CPI Property Group plans to demolish the Šárka department store in the Červený Vrch housing estate in Prague 6 and build a residential building in its place with a commercial partner. In cooperation with Prague 6 and the city's Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), the investor has announced an urban-architectural competition regarding the appearance of the surrounding area. This was announced today in a press release by the spokesperson for the sixth district, Marek Zeman.

"In addition to residential functions, we want to improve the local civic amenities and create spaces for shops and services that will better utilize the potential of public spaces in this central part of the housing estate and offer local residents an attractive environment," stated Petr Beránek, manager of CPI Property Group. According to the requirements of Prague 6, the new building should include a restaurant with a social hall or medical offices, Zeman added.

The competition regarding the modification of public spaces will pertain to the area around the department store and also the wider area of the pedestrian axis of the housing estate, which stretches from the Na Dlouhém lánu Primary School to the Arabská Gymnasium. "The investor's plan will thus be incorporated from the start into the development of the entire locality, and at the same time, we will obtain groundwork from the participants for the gradual coordinated development of the housing estate's center," mentioned the deputy mayor of the district, Václav Kožený (ODS).

The mayor of Prague 6, Jakub Stárek (ODS), added that the aim of the city hall is to create a quality local center that connects the upper and lower parts of the housing estate and offers a comfortable, aesthetic, and safe environment for socializing, leisure activities, and everyday needs of the people. According to Zeman, local residents could participate in the preparation of the competition last year and this year through an outdoor exhibition, an information booth, neighborhood meetings over a map, and an online questionnaire.

Those interested in participating in the competition can apply until Monday, April 7, after which the jury will select seven to eight teams from the applicants to present competitive concepts by June. "Subsequently, the jury will narrow down the number of participants and send three to four of the best proposals to the second round, which will be further developed and presented to the public in the autumn," described Petr Návrat from the planning office ONplan, which is organizing the competition. The chairman of the jury is Slovak architect and urban planner Igor Marko.