<p>Prague 8 will invest 1.2 billion crowns into the renewal of Libeň by 2015.</p>

Prague - The eighth district is investing approximately 1.2 billion crowns in the renewal of Libeň by 2015. Most of the funds will come from the proceeds of privatization. The largest investment will be the construction of a new town hall headquarters in Palmovka. In addition, Prague 8 is also planning the renewal of Elsnicovo náměstí and has completed the renovation of the park near Invalidovna this year. The individual projects were presented today by representatives of the town hall together with the architects involved in the projects.
    “We want to uplift the Libeň area, and we hope that this will encourage private investment initiatives in the region,” said the mayor of Prague 8 Jiří Janků (ODS) today. According to the mayor, the Palmovka area is currently very neglected, where, among other things, the homeless reside.
     Most of the investment, amounting to approximately 1.13 billion crowns, is to be directed there, into a new town hall headquarters according to the design of architect Josef Pleskot. The town hall anticipates that it will obtain a building permit within about a year, with construction on the rerouting of utility networks set to begin at the end of 2012. The construction, which will include a shopping center, is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.
    An additional approximately 25 to 30 million crowns is planned to be invested by the town hall in the renewal of Elsnicovo náměstí, which is adjacent to the monumentally protected Palác Svět. According to the design by architect Jan Šépka, a café, new benches, and access to the riverbed of Rokytka, currently covered, will be created there. The repairs to the square are expected to be completed by around the fall of 2013.
    However, the town hall has not yet succeeded in urging the owner of the adjacent Palác Svět to repair this dilapidated landmark. The palace, which was made famous by writer Bohumil Hrabal, is the dominant feature of the square. Although the owner began working on the building this year, the town hall reports that progress is slow. “We will resort to sanctions that will be significant for the owner,” said today the deputy mayor Michal Šustr (TOP 09).
    The restored Kaizlovy sady and the park in front of Invalidovna have already opened this year at the border of Karlín and Libeň, which had been neglected since the floods in 2002. The area has gained new benches, a pond with water lilies, replicas of old lanterns, a fenced children's playground, and a pétanque court. The renovation cost around 49 million crowns, most of which was obtained from European funds.