Praha 4 will appeal against the zoning decision for the construction of a high-rise building on Budějovická

Prague – The Prague 4 City Hall has appealed against the zoning decision for the construction of a skyscraper at the corner of Budějovická and Vyskočilova streets. The city hall has long disagreed with the construction, which is also contrary to the zoning plan. Jiří Bigas, the city hall spokesman, informed ČTK. This November, the municipal department of building regulations instructed the building office of Prague 4 to issue a decision. Last week, the municipality defended itself by stating that it was a procedural step to eliminate the inactivity of the building office and that it did not assess the essence of the matter, such as the legitimacy of the construction.

According to the fourth district, the AC Budějovická building planned by the developer Opal Real is oversized, worsening the quality of life and traffic situation. Local residents have previously drafted a petition against the construction of a building up to 72 meters high, and the city hall has issued several negative opinions.

"Our fundamental disagreement with such an oversized construction has been patiently repeated by our district since 2014 and will continue to be applied at all levels of the proceedings. Prague 4 completely agrees with the residents in opposition to the skyscraper. A petition against the location of this high-rise building was supported in the past by 1,850 residents, who have not changed their opinion, and we will not change ours either. Of course, we will appeal against the decision regarding the location of the AC Budějovická construction,” said councilor Patrik Opa (ODS).

The city council insists that the nineteen-story AC Budějovická building is not in accordance with the zoning plan, especially regarding its height, specifically with the limits of possible development in the stabilized area. This follows from expert assessments commissioned by the city hall, as well as from the decision of the municipal department of building regulations from February 1, 2016. However, the municipality changed its resolution on November 25 this year. According to city hall officials, this was done without providing any reason.

The new AC Budějovická building is expected to have a regular, nearly square footprint with a slightly beveled corner parallel to Vyskočilova Street. It will be up to 72 meters tall with 19 above-ground floors and five underground floors, providing 70 parking spaces. The skyscraper is set to offer up to 12,000 square meters of office space.

Around five years ago, local residents opposed the construction by drafting a petition that was signed by about two thousand people. According to the petitioners, the building will attract hundreds of cars to Krč, thereby worsening the environment and increasing noise.