Prague is finalizing contracts with developers regarding the Zizkov Freight Station

Prague – Developer companies planning to build in the Prague area of the Žižkov Freight Station (NNŽ) will contribute approximately 1.55 billion crowns to the development of public infrastructure based on upcoming contracts with the city. At today’s press conference regarding the exhibition on the future of the area, the mayor's deputy Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09) said this. Companies such as Central Group, Penta Real Estate, Sekyra Group, and Finep plan to build on NNŽ.

According to Hlaváček, contracts with investors are now being finalized and should be approved early next year. Subsequently, the city council will approve a change to the zoning plan, which has been in preparation with interruptions since 2009 and is necessary for most of the construction. According to the urban study, up to 11,000 new apartments for 23,000 residents should be created in the new district within a 20-year horizon.

Contracts with developers will include direct financial contributions of approximately 852.3 million crowns, according to Hlaváček. Of that, 150 million will go to Prague 3 for the renovation of the currently vacant primary school on Havlíčkovo Square, and 702.3 million will go to the city hall for the development of affordable housing and the construction of a new primary school. Developers themselves will invest another approximately 702.8 million, in the form of transferring land for the primary school, building squares and parks, and constructing kindergartens for 650 pupils, according to the deputy.

The first several residential blocks by Central Group at Basilejské Square have already started construction, but the rest of the development requires the approval of the zoning plan. Only then can investors, according to Hlaváček, apply for zoning decisions and construction permits for individual projects. "It will take five to six years from the zoning plan change," he said. If all goes well, the new district could be completed in 15 to 20 years, according to him.

The city is also planning its own investments in the area, the most significant being the construction of a new two-lane connector that will connect the new district to the future city ring road in Jarov and the parallel tram line. At the same time, the city is negotiating the use of the functionalist railway station building, which is expected to become a cultural center and the seat of the National Film Archive. The building is owned by Czech Railways; initially, the station was to be demolished for construction, but after pressure from activists, the demolition was abandoned, and it has been a cultural monument since 2013.

People can visit the exhibition about the future of NNŽ at the Architecture and Urban Planning Center (CAMP) located at the Institute for Planning and Development next to the Emmaus Monastery in Prague 2 until December 19.