Neovlivní: The government district may be on the lands of the research institute

Prague - If the state fails to acquire land in Letňany from the Prague City Hall, the government quarter could be built on nearby plots owned by the Ministry of Finance and the Aerospace Research and Test Institute (VZLÚ). The press department of the ministry confirmed on the website Neovlivní.cz that the ministry is analyzing such a possibility. The director of the state aerospace research institute, Josef Kašpar, told the server that representatives of the government and the ministry have already discussed the possibility of constructing an administrative complex with him.

The government wants to build a complex in Letňany, which would house up to 10,000 state officials currently spread across several buildings. In exchange for its land, the Prague City Hall wants the state to complete the outer ring road around Prague, contribute to the inner ring road, and build a new hospital. However, negotiations between Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) and Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) last week ended without result.

The failure of the talks prompted the state to seek alternative solutions. "The Ministry of Finance and the Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters are currently analyzing the possibilities for the construction of an administrative complex in Letňany on plots owned by the ministry and adjacent plots of the state Aerospace Research and Test Institute, which the institute is currently not using and is renting out," said Anna Fuksová from the press department of the Ministry of Finance to the server Neovlivní.cz, under which VZLÚ falls.

The general director of the research institute, Josef Kašpar, confirmed that negotiations have already begun. "Representatives of the government, the Ministry of Finance, and the Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters have already discussed this topic with us," Kašpar told the server. He added that the use of the research institute's plots is only partially possible. Some plots are reportedly burdened with lease agreements or have the institute's infrastructure built on them. Therefore, according to Kašpar, the use for the construction of an administrative quarter seems problematic, but not impossible.

Babiš proposed the project to create a government quarter, stating that it would allow for reduced state costs and better utilization of the palaces in the city center, where state administration bodies currently reside. The Prime Minister considers Letňany to be the most suitable option.

The government's plan met with resistance from the Prague City Hall last autumn, which owns some of the plots on which Babiš wants to build the quarter. However, the City Hall later indicated that it is willing to negotiate the release of city plots if the state makes concessions. According to Hřib, the state must complete the outer ring road, contribute to the inner ring road, and build a hospital before discussions can begin on the construction of the bureaucratic quarter.