The magistrate committee recommended changes allowing construction in Florence

Prague - New buildings could be erected on the grounds of the Prague bus station Florenc in the future. The committee for urban development of the magistrate today recommended for approval the proposal for a change in the zoning plan submitted by the company ČSAD Praha, which owns the station and the surrounding land. At the same time, the committee also agreed to the development of the neighboring land owned by the Penta group. Changes to the zoning plan have several levels of approval, at the end of which there must still be consent from the municipal assembly.

Both changes include a commitment for both companies to collaborate with the magistrate and the city districts of Prague 1 and Prague 8 during the planning of future developments. In the case of Penta, this is the second phase of construction of a new district around Masaryk Station. Penta previously attempted to purchase the land between Florenc and Masaryk Station from ČSAD, but without success.

The first part of Penta's project is located around Masaryk Station. The company currently has a non-final zoning decision for the construction of two blocks of buildings on a brownfield site around Na Florenci Street. The subsequent second phase should extend precisely to the bus station.

The urban development committee also recommended today that when further discussing changes to the zoning plan, the city should require an assessment of the traffic along the main road, where the so-called New Connection II, a tunnel railway connection from Vršovice to Karlín, is planned for the future.

Recently, disputes have arisen concerning the development around Masaryk Station. The opposition in Prague 1 has criticized it. They demanded that the magistrate appeal against the zoning decision for the construction, which, according to available information, did not happen. The planned development has also been criticized by the Czech National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the National Heritage Institute, and the Old Prague Club.

The Prague magistrate agreed with Penta that in the second part of the project, which is planned toward Florenc, at least 40 percent of the apartments will be included. This is a response to criticisms that the construction of purely office buildings would lead to the creation of a "ghost town." Today's recommendation from the magistrate's committee has a similar sentiment.

According to Penta's plans, the new buildings are to cover the unused area around Masaryk Station and continue across the main road toward Florenc. The buildings are to be up to nine stories high, with the most striking one, according to architect Zaha Hadid's design, resembling tracks with a facade that symbolically ends in a structure reminiscent of a golden tower.

The investor also promises a square, parks, and other greenery, as well as better connections between Prague 1, Florenc, and Karlín. Overall, according to the investor's information, the project is to include up to 100,000 square meters of office space, shops, restaurants, and cafés.