Praha 12 approved the loan agreement for the new town hall building

Prague - Prague 12 approved a loan agreement for a new town hall. It will receive 250 million crowns from the city hall, and the remainder up to 470 million will be covered by the sale of unnecessary buildings. The representatives of the city district also agreed this evening to transfer 65 million crowns from the renewal fund, which collects money from the privatization of apartments, for the construction of the office.

The city district, whose officials currently reside in seven buildings, wants to start building the new headquarters next year. It is currently selecting a construction contractor and aims to sign a contract by the end of the year. Next year, it will prepare documentation for the zoning permit, and in 2018 for the building permit. Construction is set to begin in 2019, with the opening planned two years later. Prague 12 would start repaying the main city in 2023 for a period of 14 years.

According to Deputy Mayor Jan Marhoul (ČSSD), the city district plans to obtain additional funds for construction by selling unnecessary buildings. "Savings from consolidating government offices could reach up to 10 or 15 million crowns annually. I expect there will also be a personnel reduction," added Marhoul.

The opposition criticized the decision to withdraw money from the renewal fund, which had been flowing in from the privatization of buildings. "There will probably be about 100 million left there. No larger contributions will come in anymore, only amounts in millions," said councilor Jiří Fremr (ODS). According to him, the transfer of funds from the fund to the construction of the new town hall headquarters would mean undermining other necessary investments.

The original historic town hall of Old Modřany was demolished in the 1980s. The plan that considered relocating officials to the Prior building on Sofian Square was announced by the then town hall leadership in 2007. According to earlier estimates, it was expected to cost between 340 and 390 million crowns. An analysis of other options commissioned by the city district recommends the area between Písková Street and General Šiška near the current town hall as the most advantageous piece of land owned by the city.

Other city districts are also considering new town halls. For several years, Prague 10 has been addressing the relocation from the Vlasta building in Vršovice. It is considering building a new building or renovating the current office or modifying the Old School near the Strašnická metro station.

Prague 7 has also begun purchasing and renovating an empty property for the town hall’s needs. Prague 8 has already started building a new town hall in Palmovka. The construction, costing 1.1 billion crowns, was supposed to be completed in March this year, but is currently halted due to disputes over who owns the unfinished building.