The Prague city council is facing another heated debate regarding Vidoule

Prague - The Prague Assembly is expecting a heated debate at its last meeting before municipal elections regarding the plan to build on part of the plateau Vidoule in Prague 5. The change to the resolution will be proposed by the ČSSD on Thursday. The Coalition of three parties running in the elections will also demand this, as they currently have no representative in the assembly. The ruling TOP 09 considers it a populist move ahead of the upcoming elections.
    The discussed change to the zoning plan concerning part of the Košíře-Motol nature park was already approved by the assembly with votes from TOP 09 and the ruling ČSSD in May. According to Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09), the decision does not mean that construction will begin, but that the office will start addressing the matter. This, however, did not satisfy the residents of Prague 5 or part of the opposition. Additionally, representatives from ČSSD later opposed it, claiming that they were presented with a forged petition at the meeting.
    Therefore, on Thursday, they want to propose the suspension of the approved change's validity. "We simply will not allow the construction of Vidoule," said Miroslav Ludvík (ČSSD), the leader of the candidate list, at a pre-election press conference today. The Coalition of three parties (KDU-ČSL, Green Party, and STAN) labeled his statement as hypocritical and is asking the assembly members to withdraw the resolution.
    "Both the new building regulations and the metropolitan plan strictly protect undeveloped landscapes. This of course also applies to Vidoule, whose development I have long and systematically opposed," Hudeček stated in response. "Unlike the ČSSD, which approved one development project after another in previous years and is now just crying populistically before the elections," he added.
    The Prague 5 municipality had previously expressed opposition to the development. Locals are protesting, for example, by organizing an event called "Run for Vidoule," the second edition of which will take place on Tuesday. Conversely, landowners, who appeared before the assembly with banners at the last meeting, are striving for the construction of family houses and sports facilities. They claim that the area is neglected and attracts drug addicts and homeless people.