MKČR will no longer review the permits of heritage protectors for marshmallows

Prague - The Ministry of Culture (MK) will no longer review the decision of Prague's conservationists that allowed preparations for the construction of a building in Prague nicknamed the marshmallow to continue. "The Heritage Inspection concluded that there are no grounds for initiating a review," said MK spokeswoman Simona Cigánková to ČTK. The inspection pointed out that the amendment to the building law signed by the president last week will in most cases prevent the ministry from reassessing sometimes controversial decisions made by officials from municipal conservation departments.

These are a necessary prerequisite for issuing a building permit in the case of heritage conservation areas. The mandatory opinions of Prague's conservationists have sometimes sparked controversy in the past, including the approval of a new building on the site of the currently demolished house in Wenceslas Square or the permission for the construction of the marshmallow. Some of Prague's decisions were later annulled by the MK as the superior authority. However, according to the amendment, it could no longer do so.

Part of the public protested against the construction of the marshmallow, but it is likely to proceed. The building authority issued the permit in June 2015, but its validity was suspended. The investor received a positive mandatory opinion from the conservationists last December. ČTK was unable to obtain an official statement from either the investor or the city hall.

The construction has been in preparation for years by the Italian developer Francesco Augusto Razetto. In March, he announced that the company that owns the project is being sold. He then told ČTK that he made this decision due to the officials and the system that, according to him, allows civic initiatives to intervene in projects even outside the administrative proceedings. However, according to the commercial register, the change of ownership has not yet occurred.

The Ministry of Culture announced that there are no legal grounds for initiating another review process to which it received a proposal. The director of the Heritage Inspection, Martin Zídek, stated that even if the challenged decisions were annulled during the review, it would only be "a short-term solution that, considering the existing decision-making line of the city hall in this matter, would not last long." He refers to the amendment to the building law in this instance.

Zídek added that surprisingly the amendment was passed without protests from associations that often strongly declare their positions on legislation regarding heritage in other cases. In addition to the rejection of the new heritage law, this is another legislative step that will have a negative impact on the interests of heritage care, especially in relation to heritage-protected areas, the director warned.

The building in the Old Town is nicknamed the marshmallow mainly due to the color of its facade, which appeared in some visualizations. It was designed by architect Zdeněk Fránek, who never considered a facade in a pink color.