Praha 10 has definitively abandoned the reconstruction of the town hall and will sell the building

Prague – Prague 10 has definitively abandoned the plan, prepared for the summer, to renovate the town hall on Vršovická Street. The city district will sell the building and either remain in rental or purchase a new headquarters. This was communicated to ČTK by town hall spokesman Ján Bruno Tropp. The council based its decision on a study by PwC, which indicated that the renovation would be the most expensive option. The municipal office moved to rented space in an office building on Vinohradská Street at the end of last year due to the poor condition of the 1970s building known as Vlasta.

The council decided on this course of action at its last meeting in June. "The decision we made is supported by hard data and numbers. The analysis clearly shows that renovation is the least advantageous option," stated Mayor Martin Valovič (ODS). He added that the city district would need to take out a loan for repairs, which would burden its budget for a long time and prevent significant investments in areas such as education.

"In Prague 9, a new primary school was built for 570 million. Renovating the town hall would cost approximately as much as three new primary schools. And I truly do not want that," the mayor added. The city district already has a renovation project prepared, which, according to Tropp, costs about 70 million crowns. "This project will be part of the potential sale of properties in the Vlasta housing estate and the KC Eden building. The invested funds will thus be returned," the spokesman stated. Maintenance costs for the currently unused building also pose a burden, amounting to 3.9 billion crowns for the first half of this year according to Tropp.

The original estimate for the renovation costs was about 1.1 billion crowns, but due to delays in commencement and rising construction and other costs, according to representatives of the town hall, it increased to 1.86 billion crowns. The city district also missed deadlines for an interest-free loan from the city and a subsidy from the State Environmental Fund. According to Tropp, the study showed that the overall costs for the renovation, including securing alternative premises and other expenses, would be 2.6 billion crowns.

The municipal office is currently located in an office building on Vinohradská Street, where, according to previous information, it pays the company Carpet Invest a monthly rent of 2.9 million crowns excluding VAT, with an additional approximately one million in monthly advances. The maximum rental period is seven years. The town hall will now evaluate whether to remain in rental or purchase a new headquarters. "According to the analysis prepared, renting offers a certain form of savings; acquiring your own property is somewhat more expensive, but it provides certainty. Personally, I prefer to own," said Deputy Mayor Tomáš Pek (TOP 09).

According to Tropp, the option of purchasing the premises where the town hall is currently located is also being considered. "In the coming weeks, the process of surveying the real estate market will begin, and among other things, the company that owns the building where the town hall is located will be approached," the spokesman informed ČTK.

Previous administrations of Prague 10 considered various options for addressing the issues with the inadequate municipal office. Initially, there was a plan to build a new town hall at an estimated cost of 775 million crowns, but this was abandoned after criticism. Later, the relocation of the office to an unused school in Strašnice was considered, but the city district is now renovating that school and will restore its original function. The now-cancelled renovation decision was made by the previous administration of the town hall.