Praha 3 is suing the magistrate over construction at Nákladové nádraží

Prague - The City Hall of Prague 3 will file a lawsuit against the magistrate over the issued zoning decision for the construction of a multifunctional center at the Žižkov Freight Station. Prague 3 aims to achieve the annulment of the decision that permitted construction in the northern part of the station. This was reported today by the spokesperson for Prague 3, Stanislav Kněnický.
    The city district had already appealed against the zoning decision issued by the Building Authority of Prague 3 in September 2012. "The City Hall has fundamental objections to the project by Discovery Group, which wants to build a shopping center, office buildings, and residential buildings in the area," Kněnický said, adding that the city council of the municipality approved the submission of an administrative lawsuit today without a proposal for a suspensive effect.
    "We believe that the building authority placed the construction unlawfully," said Deputy Mayor Ondřej Rut (Žns) in response to a question from ČTK. "With today's decision, we are protecting the citizens of Prague 3 from disproportionate interference in their environment," he added.
    The magistrate's department of construction and urban planning issued a decision on the placement of the construction on November 15 last year, in which it rejected the appeal from Prague 3.
    According to the city hall and other opponents from civic associations, the project is oversized and the location next to the heritage-protected building of the station is inappropriate. The local Green Party asserts that the enormous construction will overwhelm an already overloaded area with more traffic and will destroy a unique biotope, where biologists have found 30 protected species of plants and animals.
    By law, the city hall must submit the legal complaint within 60 days from the decision. The deadline will expire on January 25, 2014.
    The Discovery Group plans to build a large shopping center with offices, apartments, and parking areas for 6.75 billion. The first phase of the project will affect land of 140,000 m². Near the station, the company Žižkov Station Development, owned by Czech Railways and Sekyra Group, also intends to build.