The Prague City Hall has initiated a review of the decision regarding the reconstruction of the villa in Hřebenky

Prague - The Building Code Department of the Prague City Hall has initiated a review of the building permit for the reconstruction and expansion of a villa at the foothills of Petřín in Smíchov. The office has also suspended the enforceability of the building permit during the review. This is stated in a resolution published on the city's website, highlighted by Deník N. Local residents are protesting the reconstruction, claiming it effectively replaces the original building with a much larger one.

The house on Tichá Street, built in 1912, is nicknamed Schieszlova villa by local residents after the interwar politician Josef Schieszl, a close associate of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, who lived in the villa. The owner of the building is developer Martin Kulík, who began work on the reconstruction and significant expansion of the house for family housing purposes in early November. The villa is not protected as a monument, but it is located in a heritage zone.

Some neighbors subsequently started protesting the plan, claiming it amounts to a de facto demolition and replacement of the house with a new one. The co-author of the project, architect Petr Kolář from studio ADR, rejected this. Neighbors organized an online petition, which has so far been signed by about 2,850 people. On the initiative of local residents, the City Hall began addressing the issued building permit, which critics argue was mishandled by the Prague 5 Building Authority.

"The superior administrative authority has concluded that there are legally stipulated reasons for reviewing the relevant decision,” states the resolution of the city hall department. Meanwhile, the builder must also halt work on the house during the review. The representatives of the owner had previously agreed to the suspension with the leadership of Prague 5.

According to members of the petition committee against the reconstruction, demolition work is still ongoing at the villa despite the decision. "There are jackhammers coming from the villa, workers have made a fire on the roof, and debris is being thrown into the garden. This is another unlawful act the builder is committing,” the committee stated in a media statement. They also called on the Prague 5 Building Authority to address the situation within its monitoring and sanctioning powers. The leadership of Prague 5 and the City of Prague should also express a clear stance against the unlawful procedure, according to them. The committee also urged the builder's business partners to terminate collaboration with him as part of their corporate social responsibility.

This is not the first similar case in the area. The year before last, similar resistance arose against a demolition plan for a villa from the early 20th century located less than a kilometer away on Nad Výšinkou Street. At that time, this villa was owned by Valérie Haščáková, the wife of Jaroslav Haščák, co-owner of the investment group Penta. After intense criticism of the demolition from local residents and politicians, the villa changed hands three times and eventually ended up in the possession of the investment group Rockaway Capital, and it still stands.