Praha 15 did not issue a zoning decision for Ekocity Hostivař to Ekospol

Prague - The Building Authority of Prague 15 has once again rejected the application for a zoning decision for the Ekocity Hostivař project by the developer Ekospol. This was reported by ČTK from the official notice board of the district. According to the authority, the land is not suitable for purely residential construction. Ekospol will appeal the decision and demand compensation for the delays caused. In the Ekocity Hostivař project, the company plans to build 802 apartments in six residential buildings with eight to nine above-ground floors. The project was purchased in the spring of 2015 from the company CTY.

The Building Authority already rejected the application in June 2016. The magistrate, as the superior building authority, annulled the challenged decision in October 2016 and returned the matter for new consideration. However, the Building Authority of Prague 15 again rejected the application due to an alleged violation of the building law. "We believe that the Building Authority of Prague 15 unlawfully rejected our application once again. Moreover, it acts entirely contrary to the opinion of the superior building authority and thus goes against the decision of the magistrate. This is quite exceptional and in 25 years in the market, we have not experienced anything like this," said Evžen Korec, CEO of Ekospol, to ČTK.

The Building Authority points out, for instance, that the project does not account for civic amenities. The nearest kindergarten on Trhanovské náměstí, where there is already an excess of demand according to the authority, is located 1.8 kilometers away by road, and the Hornoměcholupská elementary school is 2.2 kilometers away.

The Building Authority also states that the proposed building contradicts the zoning plan in terms of functionality and spatial arrangement. "This area is designated for the placement of multifunctional buildings or a combination of monofunctional buildings for housing, commerce, administration, culture, public amenities, sports, and various services. However, none of the functions shall exceed 60 percent of the total capacity of the area," the report states.

According to the Building Authority, noise limits from the operation of industrial facilities in the immediate vicinity are significantly exceeded in the given area. "It is not possible to ensure the comfort of living and a quality environment for future residents while maintaining existing production character buildings in the area," the authority further states.

According to Korec, Ekospol assumes that the superior building authority will again return the matter. "There are no new facts that have not been known from the very beginning and that the superior building authority has not already assessed. The superior authority also stated that the Building Authority of Prague 15 fundamentally violated procedural economy by requesting documents that it did not need at all and unreasonably prolonged the proceedings," Korec added. According to him, Ekospol will sue the Building Authority of Prague 15 for compensation for the delays caused.

Korec considers the dispute a typical example where the prolongation of the permitting process leads to a shortage of new apartments and a significant increase in prices. New apartments in Prague have become more expensive by over 40 percent in the last two years. "The intention is completely in accordance with the zoning plan, which we documented with the consent of the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague," Korec added.