Prague will not continue with the construction on Petřín for now

Prague - Prague will continue to deal with the objections of opponents regarding the construction of a maintenance building and public toilets in the Great Strahov Garden at Petřín. Prague city councillors discussed a petition from local residents today, who demand that the construction in its current form be halted. Representatives of the city, architects, and other experts will meet with the public on Monday to discuss the proposal. They will also distribute questionnaires, said the mayor's deputy Petr Hlubuček (STAN), who is responsible for the construction. According to him, construction work will not continue at this time.

The opposition ODS representatives supported further debate on the project, and the councillors from the coalition party TOP 09 also want to listen to the objections of construction opponents again. "We are capable of looking at this again," said the mayor's deputy Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09). According to the chairman of the TOP 09 club Jiří Pospíšil, a compromise solution needs to be found.

Hlubuček reiterated that the city council and the representatives of Prague 1 had dealt with the project several times. "The authorities have always confirmed the continuation of the project," he said. According to him, the project has been in preparation for three years and is adequately prepared. "The capital city has enough experts to assess whether the interventions are relevant or not," he added.

According to Hlubuček, the construction was supposed to continue with the laying of a gas connection diversion, which is now not possible since the heating season has begun. Among other things, Hlubuček mentioned that a fence was erected on the site, which was immediately damaged, resulting in a loss of 40,000 crowns.

Local residents are opposed to the project, having founded two associations and created two petitions. According to them, Petřín is one of the few places in the city center that has not yet been overwhelmed by tourism and where local residents can still relax. Critics also argue that the construction above Vlašská Street would disrupt the view and the valuable natural habitat of Petřín.

The city has already accepted some of the petitioners' comments. The construction is to have 51 square meters instead of the originally planned 130 square meters. It has also abandoned the construction of a new entrance from Úvoz Street.