The city's interest in Buďánek is a political act and revenge, claims Prague 5

Prague - The interest of the city council in the fate of the Buďánka settlement in Smíchov has been called a political act and a revenge by the former mayor of Prague 5, Radek Klíma (TOP 09), as stated in a press release sent to ČTK by the city council. Prague 5 communicated this in response to the actions of Prague's leadership, which requested all documentation regarding the current state of the settlement and the city council's plans for its restoration. Radek Klíma labeled Prague 5's claims as "sheer nonsense."
Prague city councilors, in their resolution on Tuesday, are asking Prague 5 to submit detailed documentation "on the current management of the real estate of the capital city of Prague entrusted to the management of the Prague 5 municipal district." The document also indicates that the reason is the condition in which the settlement currently exists.
However, the Prague 5 city council disagrees that it has not been addressing the future of the settlement. "We fundamentally reject the notion that we have been doing nothing; on the contrary, the current city council has pushed for the termination of contracts with Geosan Alfa. Our coalition has pushed for the revitalization plan of the Buďánka Settlement," stated Mayor Miroslav Zelený (UNP).
The chairman of the Prague 5 commission for urban development, Tomáš Homola, considers the city council's resolution to be revenge. "It's a retaliation from former mayor Klíma to the current mayor who replaced him. Why didn't he, as mayor in 2010, start discussing the Buďánka settlement?" Homola remarked. According to Zelený, the city's actions could also reflect an effort "by Mayor Hudeček or some councilors to stop the revitalization process of the Buďánka Settlement and to 'sell' this historically valuable area to some developers,” Zelený stated.
Former mayor and now opposition councilor of Prague 5, Radek Klíma (TOP 09), disagrees with the city council's statement. "It's sheer nonsense; I have nothing to do with the city council," Klíma told ČTK. In his opinion, it is, on the contrary, a political act by the city council. "It's election time, so they don't want the settlement's decline to be blamed on them," he said.
Councilors of Prague 5 approved a revitalization project at their January meeting. The municipal district intends to reconstruct the buildings where it is technically feasible and also those that are required to be preserved by heritage authorities. New buildings will gradually be erected in the footprints of the remaining structures. The Buďánka settlement is intended to serve cultural, educational, and recreational activities. "I believe that the vision prepared in cooperation with experts will fill the Buďánka Settlement with cultural and social life," stated Zelený.
Buďánka is an original workers' colony, a remnant of how workers lived in Smíchov in the 19th century. Since 1991, it has been declared a heritage zone. None of the revitalization projects have been implemented so far.