<translation>Route shift of the circuit: More changes to the land use plan and greater land appropriation</translation>

Prague - In the event that the route of the missing sections of the Prague Ring Road were shifted towards the Central Bohemian Region, 41 territorial plans in Prague and Central Bohemian municipalities would need to be changed. The new route would occupy twice as much valuable land. This is stated in the material from the Institute of Planning and Development of Prague (IPR), which was presented today to the representatives of the city's leadership and the city district councils. The new route option is being advocated by representatives of some local councils and civic associations.

According to the current plans, the Prague Ring Road is set to measure over 80 kilometers, with about half of it currently in operation. The new route would be longer, although the exact length is not specified in the material.

The leadership of Prague is inclined towards the first variant. "The facts we have already verified indicate that only the variant in the valid land-use planning documentation is feasible. This is supported by its agreement with the territorial plans, the size of the land acquisition, and others," stated Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr (Praha Sobě).

In the case of the variant that has been planned for many years, the route is only inconsistent with the land-use plan at two locations. These are the Central Bohemian municipalities of Přezletice and Radonice. However, the lands here are in a so-called territorial reserve and are designated for road construction. The municipalities would just change their plans.

In the second variant, only the city district of Nupaky in Prague and the municipalities of Říčany and Kněževes in Central Bohemia would have a land-use plan in accordance with the construction. On the other hand, municipalities in the southeastern outskirts of Prague and those north of Prague, such as Central Bohemian Uhříněves, Tursko, Líbeznice, and Brandýs nad Labem, would need to change it. About a dozen other municipalities would need to amend it in the area between D1 and D11.

The longer variant of the ring road is not included in the land-use plans of municipalities or in the Principles of Land Development of the Central Bohemian Region, pointed out the head of the regional parliamentary club STAN, Věslav Michalik. "We would be embarking on a variant that would take us back decades and significantly delay the construction of the ring road," he added. Mayor of Úvaly Petr Borecký (STAN) warned that any decision to develop the longer route would bury the prepared eastern route variant and the planned relocation of road number 12, which is intended to relieve the municipalities and city districts along this route, for several years.

According to the document, the basic variant would occupy 924 hectares of land. However, the alternative route would require 1,389 hectares, of which up to 1,050 hectares would fall into the first two categories of the highest quality land. The currently planned variant would occupy 702 hectares of the most valuable land.

The alternative route would also affect more densely populated areas. In the original variant, the area affected by residential development is 69.6 hectares, while in the alternative it is 257.1 hectares.

The outer Prague Ring Road is expected to measure about 83 kilometers upon completion, according to current plans, with about half of it currently in operation. The missing section from the D1 highway to Běchovice and the entire northern section from Ruzyně through Suchdol, Březiněves to Černý Most are not yet completed. The radial roads, which are meant to connect both ring roads, are also unfinished. Local councils in the northern part of the capital have long opposed construction.