The Heritage Conservation Council criticizes the skyscrapers in Pankrác

Prague - The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which is an advisory body of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, reportedly disagrees with the planned construction of two high-rise buildings in Pankrác Plain in Prague 4. According to civic associations that criticize the investor's intention, this follows from ICOMOS's position, which they have in their possession. The head of the council, Michael Petzet, has already asked Prague's mayor Pavel Bém to halt the entire project, according to the project's critics. A response from the city council and official information from the monuments and sites council are being sought by ČTK.
    ICOMOS demands a reduction in the height of the proposed buildings and criticizes the fact that Prague has not yet developed a care plan for the urban heritage reserve. According to materials that activists sent to ČTK, Petzet wrote a letter to Bém on May 3, with one copy addressed to the Minister of Culture Václav Jehlička. The associations are upset that the city has not yet responded to this.
    "For several weeks, the city council has been concealing that it received a negative statement from the ICOMOS headquarters. Our written inquiries remain unanswered, thus the city council is violating the law on free access to information," reads today's press release from the Atelier for the Environment, the Pankrác Civic Initiative, the Pankrác Society, and the Citizens' Support Center - Arnika.
    According to the investor's plans, the company ECM, there are plans to add two more high-rise buildings to the three existing ones on Pankrác Plain. The residential building is reportedly to have 31 floors, while the hotel will have ten fewer. Civic associations claim that the new development will bring nothing to the local people and will only increase traffic in the area. On the other hand, according to investor representatives, people will benefit from the project, as it is expected to include the creation of a cultural center and spaces for stores and services. The National Heritage Institute previously pointed out that the buildings are to be located in close proximity to the historical core of the metropolis, which would have an impact on the Prague skyline.
    The Ministry of Culture suspended the administrative proceedings regarding the construction permit at the end of May, confirmed today by the ministry's spokesperson Marcela Žižková. In assessing the matter, it must wait for the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO to discuss the issue. The committee will meet from June 23 to July 3, 2007, in Christchurch, New Zealand.
    Heritage experts from the city council initially expressed positive opinions about the construction of buildings in Pankrác. Last year, the Ministry of Culture canceled their decision. The city’s heritage department issued a new approval in January, against which the associations appealed to the ministry. The National Heritage Institute re-evaluated its earlier positive positions and, in its latest statement, pointed out that the plan to construct additional high-rise buildings concerns values that were the reason for the inclusion of the heritage reserve on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It expressed concerns that approval of the current plan could pave the way for further high-rise development of the plain.