Pirates: Prague must address the development of brownfields and municipal housing

Prague - The leadership of Prague should have development studies carried out for so-called brownfields, address the construction of municipal housing, or initiate a change in the law regarding the Airbnb service. This was stated to journalists today by the head of the Pirate Party's parliamentary club, Jakub Michálek. He said it is also necessary to improve the business environment, which needs to be predictable, and to change some laws regarding construction.

“The issue of municipal housing can be addressed practically immediately in Prague in terms of conditions; it is enough to adopt a change in strategy. The second issue concerns development, where the problem is that brownfields are not being utilized, for which urban studies should have long been prepared. The council has been in power for three years and so far only some assignment for a study seems to be in preparation,” said Michálek.

Regarding municipal housing, according to him, the leadership of Prague is not utilizing the social housing fund, which has two billion crowns, but only plans to build two houses. “So, actually, nothing is being done,” he said. It is also necessary for the law to be changed and to define who is in need and has the right to obtain social housing.

According to Michálek, the city must also begin to lift some construction bans. "They persist in areas marked as development areas in the master plan. However, urban studies have not been prepared that would allow actual work to begin there. Development is currently very slow and studies are not being produced,” said Michálek.

In the case of regulating the Airbnb service, Prague should initiate a change in the law. Taxes and fees, according to Michálek, should be collected by the tax authority and should be paid by the service intermediary for all landlords. It is also essential to distinguish between supplementary income and business. “Prague has legislative initiative and should act. The same problem exists with the Uber service. These are issues that burden Prague and at the same time bring benefits. Who else should initiate a change in the law if not Prague, which is closest to it?” said Michálek.

Conditions for investors should improve at both the Parliamentary and city levels. One contact point for construction should be established. “So that a builder does not have to visit about 40 offices. The World Bank also recommends this. Of course, the Pirates would introduce a digital circulation of documents so that files can be sent quickly and accessed easily,” said Michálek. The construction process should also be unified, involving the public in it.