SŽDC wants to withdraw from the contract for the sale of land in Dejvice

Prague - The Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) is seeking ways to withdraw from the contract for the future sale of land near the Dejvice train station in Prague to the development company Amádeus Real. It has therefore called on the developer to negotiate a mutual withdrawal. In an interview with ČTK, the head of the state organization, Jiří Svoboda, stated that the contract was signed prematurely. He would prefer the future use of the land for state purposes and mentioned considerations for a new building of the National Gallery. The developer informed ČTK that it sees no reason to cancel the contract.

The purchase agreement, which anticipates the sale of the land to Amádeus Real no later than 2030, was signed by Svoboda's predecessor in office, Pavel Surý. At that time, the state enterprise entered into a contract with Amádeus Real without a public tender. According to both parties, the contract stipulates that the price of the land will be determined at the time of the transaction with the help of expert appraisals to match the prices of surrounding plots.

"SŽDC has called upon the development company Amádeus Real to mutually withdraw from the contracts without any compensation," said Svoboda. According to the media representative of Amádeus Real, Karel Samec, the company is familiarizing itself with the content of the request. "I can only repeat at this moment that we are still unaware of any reasons for the cancellation of the contract, and we are still ready to fulfill our contractual obligations," he added.

According to Svoboda, the contract for the future sale of the land was concluded before the plans for the related project, for which the organization still needs the land, were finalized. "I think this contractual relationship was premature and did not allow the market to express itself in the contractual valuation of the land," he noted.

The land, according to the head of SŽDC, should primarily serve social purposes. "We would like state property to primarily serve the state and not only for the development projects arising from the mentioned contract," he added. On the land near the Dejvice train station and the Hradčanská metro station, which is owned by both SŽDC and the Prague City Hall, the National Gallery is considering constructing its new building. The modern facility for presenting contemporary art would complement the collection of historic buildings of the gallery. "If state enterprises manage to clear the land of those special contracts, we would like to open a discussion about the use of the new building and the Trade Fair Palace. For example, the tunnel near the Dejvice train station in Prague could be used as a parking lot. The National Gallery has six buildings and no parking," said Jiří Fajt, the General Director of the National Gallery, to ČTK today.

If the developer does not accept the railway administration’s request, Svoboda is prepared to consider further options regarding the withdrawal from the contract, although he did not specify concrete steps. If the company does not respond during December, Svoboda intends to return to negotiations in January. "However, I am an optimist and believe that an agreement will be found," he added. He pointed out that the properties on the land and in its immediate vicinity are owned by several owners, including the company Amádeus Real. In the case of further transactions concerning the land, the owner must thus agree with all owners.

The land near the Dejvice train station is crucial for SŽDC due to the planned railway line from Prague to Kladno. The railway manager plans to run the line through a tunnel beneath the land, which should continue from the Dejvice station to the station in Prague's Veleslavín. However, the exact design of the tunnel routes has not yet been decided.