The magistrate canceled the decision on the demolition of the house on Wenceslas Square

Prague - The Prague magistrate has revoked the decision to demolish the building at the corner of Wenceslas Square and Opletalova Street. The case has been returned to the building authority of Prague 1 for further discussion. Jitka Cvetlerová, the director of the magistrate's department of building and urban planning, informed ČTK today. According to the magistrate, there are legal and substantive shortcomings in the building authority's decision. In recent months, part of the experts and the public protested against the demolition of the building.
    The head of the building authority of Prague 1, Oldřich Dajbych, told ČTK that he has not yet received the magistrate's decision. Once he does, he will initiate new discussions. He does not expect another decision to be issued sooner than in three to six months.
    At the same time, the magistrate is assessing three appeals against the zoning permit for the new construction, which was issued simultaneously with the demolition permit. "We have sent it for review to the Ministry of Culture," said Cvetlerová. The office is now waiting for its position.
    Three participants in the proceedings, including one of the neighbors represented by Petr Kužvart from the Environmental Institute, have appealed against the zoning decision. According to media reports, Flow East has sued the senior for eight million crowns with the offer that the lawsuit will be withdrawn if the appeal is also withdrawn.
    Flow East plans to replace the corner building, a former printing house on Opletalova Street, and a large plot in the courtyard with a modern structure. The building is set to have nine above-ground floors, two more than the neighboring buildings. The two upper floors will gradually set back. The plan is for the structure to be shaped like the letter L.
    In September, the building authority issued a zoning permit and a demolition permit. It received appeals against the zoning permit from the Prague magistrate and the owners of two neighboring buildings.
    Debates around the project have been ongoing for several months, and there have been several demonstrations against the demolition. Last July, however, the then Minister of Culture in resignation, Alena Hanáková, decided that the building would not be protected as a monument, which opened the way for the request for its demolition. The company has owned the building since 1994. The project costs, including the purchase of the land and building, are said to reach a billion crowns; the new construction is expected to cost another billion. The investor's intent has been criticized by many experts in recent years.