Babiš prefers Letňany for the government district after visiting Malešice

Prague - Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) today visited the site of the main sorting center of the Czech Post in Prague's Malešice, which the post office plans to vacate. The post office director Roman Knap offered the area to the government chairman as a possible location for a so-called government district. After about an hour of negotiations, Babiš said he is still considering other options but still prefers construction in Prague's Letňany, where he has been unable to reach an agreement with the capital for some time.

The area, covering 19 hectares in Malešice, is likely to be vacated by the post office, which is currently negotiating with České dráhy about the use of railway land near Kolín, Babiš stated. The Prime Minister was disappointed after today's site visit that most of the area is occupied by buildings. "I expected the land, but it is a huge development, three enormous complexes of real estate," he told reporters.

He labeled the proximity of the Malešice land to the Depo Hostivař metro station as an advantage. "Logistically, the area is accessible, but it is an industrial zone; I take it as one of the options that the office (Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters, ÚZSVM) must evaluate," he said. He added that he has other options but did not want to specify them.

The operation of the sorting center in Malešice costs the post office about 40 million crowns per year. "All calculations indicate that we only need about five to six hectares and a modern prefabricated building that meets contemporary requirements," Knap stated. According to him, the current site is technologically inadequate. Therefore, he offered the site to Babiš in case the post office ultimately decides to vacate it. "When everything runs smoothly, the area could be vacated in an optimistic scenario within two and a half to three years," he said. The post office does not yet have an exact estimate of its value; according to the price map, it is between 500 and 600 million crowns.

In favor of the land in Letňany, which ÚZSVM considers ideal for the establishment of a ministerial complex, Babiš mentioned that the zoning plan allows for a similar construction there. "It is a clean plot of land, there is a zoning plan, so from a timing perspective, it is certainly a preferred option," he said. However, he admitted that he does not expect to reach an agreement with the current leadership of Prague.

The city council wants to release its Letňany lands for Babiš's project, which, according to the Prime Minister, is primarily aimed at saving money on rent and operating buildings, only upon meeting several conditions. The state must complete the Prague outer ring road, contribute to the inner ring road, and build a hospital. Babiš assures that the state will finance the construction of the outer ring road, but he prefers a trauma center instead of a hospital. According to him, the form of a PPP project, that is, cooperation with a private investor, is suitable for the inner ring road. However, according to Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates), the state is unable to carry out similar projects.