<p>Praha 6 rejects the sale of land in Hanspaulka planned by the magistrate.</p>

Prague - The Prague 6 council opposed the sale of a plot of land measuring 4,350 square meters in Hanspaulka, which the city hall plans to sell. The municipal district wants to build a school on the plot and leave part of it green, so the town hall will initiate a change in the zoning plan. By resolution, supported by 35 politicians out of a 45-member council, they called on the city hall to cancel the tender. The tender was highlighted on Wednesday by the website SeznamZprávy, which reported that billionaires Marek Dospiva and Pavol Krúpa expressed interest in the land.

The discussion on this item was initiated by the Greens and Mayors. "We initiated this resolution because we are unhappy with the timing; it is in an unfortunate time period," said Deputy Mayor Jan Lacina (STAN), referring to the fact that elections for municipal councils will take place in two weeks. The plot, defined by the streets Na Špitálce, Na Fišerce, Neherovská, and Na Kodymce, has been intended for a public educational facility since the 1920s, but is currently designated for residential use. A few years ago, several family homes were supposed to be built on the site.

According to Mayor Ondřej Kolář (TOP 09), people living near the plot do not want massive construction in their neighborhood but agree with the construction of an educational facility. The intention to build a kindergarten at the site is supported by both ODS and the Greens. In Prague 6, schools are facing capacity problems; according to Pavla Ducháčková Chotková (SZ), some classes have up to 34 children, which can threaten the quality of education. Due to artificial increases in school capacity at the expense of after-school programs, school cafeterias are also at the limit of their capacity.

The statutory Deputy Mayor Martin Polách (ANO) abstained from voting on the resolution, stating that the plot is suitable for family homes, not for a school. The existing zoning plan is fine as it is, he said.

Interested parties could apply for the tender for the land, located in the Hanspaulka villa district, until August 13. Co-owner of Penta Dospiva and Krúpa, who works at Krupa Global Investments, want to build a three-story villa at the site, according to the website. Each of the interested parties offered Prague an investment into a neighboring park, with Krúpa offering 40 million and Dospiva 44 million. The final price for the land will emerge from the second round of the competition. According to the server, opinions on the sale vary within the city hall. The final decision must be approved by both the city hall and the Prague council.

In the autumn of 2014, TOP 09 won the elections in Prague 6 with 11 mandates ahead of the ANO movement, which secured eight seats. ODS and the Greens both received six mandates, followed by the Mayors with five mandates, the Social Democrats with four, the Communists with three, and the Christian Democrats with two mandates. The coalition of TOP 09, ANO, STAN, KDU-ČSL, and the Greens changed in November 2015. After disagreements, Deputy Mayor for Transport Petra Kolínská and Councillor for the Environment Antonín Nechvátal (both Greens) were dismissed. The Greens subsequently moved to the opposition.