The Prague mayors are unhappy with the way the new zoning plan is being created

Prague - The mayors of the municipalities are unhappy with the way the new territorial so-called metropolitan plan for Prague is being created. "We are not being heard, no one is talking to us," says the chairman of the Association of Prague Municipalities and mayor of Lysolaje, Petr Hlubuček. According to him, the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), which is preparing the strategic document, is doing absolutely what it wants. However, IPR rejects the criticisms.

According to the metropolitan plan, all construction in the metropolis will be guided by it starting from 2020. Doubts about its content are being expressed not only from the municipalities but also from city officials, preservationists, and historians. Concerns were recently voiced by deputy mayor Petra Kolínská (Trojakolitci/Green Party), who is responsible for urban planning. She stated that the plan does not set sufficient boundaries for construction. The most frequently mentioned issues include the planned high-rise construction in the city and what is said to be inadequate protection of parks and greenery in housing estates.

"The authors of the plan do not respect the opinions of the municipalities at all; the plan is being prepared by a closed group of people," claims Hlubuček. He is concerned about the planned densification of the city and the ambiguous designation of places where schools or healthcare facilities should be located in the future. "The metropolitan plan is a work in progress that needs to be further developed; however, it must involve not only urban planners but also other experts, such as sociologists, and above all, the city districts," he added. According to him, the plan views Prague as a city with a single center, rather than as a region with 57 city districts, each having its own centers.

"In the last two years, 128 meetings have been held with the city districts, all beyond the obligations imposed on IPR by the building law," said IPR spokesman Adam Švejda to ČTK. He claimed that seventy percent of the requests have been incorporated into the proposal.

The preparation of the plan, which has so far cost about 50 million crowns, is falling behind schedule. Experts and the city hall also assert that the proposal does not comply with the building law. Therefore, in June, the council decided that a team of experts would assess the proposal by the end of August. Public discussions are expected to begin in the fall.

The Association of City Districts unites 33 small municipal offices in Prague.