The new headquarters of the ambulance service is to be established in Palmovka or Střižkov

Prague - A new ambulance building could be constructed in the area of the Prosek Polyclinic in Střížkov if the capital city and the Prague 8 district cannot resolve property disputes regarding the new building at Palmovka by the end of this year. This is indicated by a study commissioned by the city council, which will be discussed by Prague councilors on Tuesday. The Prague 8 municipality and the capital's city council are involved in a property dispute over the building near the Palmovka metro station, which both parties would like to settle out of court. Prague 9, where the Prosek Polyclinic is located, is not aware of the magistrate's plans.

"If the property settlement in the Palmovka area occurs by the end of 2017, it can be expected that the currently under-construction building, intended for the needs of the ambulance service, will be completed and operational in 2019," the document states. However, if the property settlement is not reached by the end of this year, work on the project will be halted, and preparations for the construction of a new ambulance headquarters at the Prosek Polyclinic will begin. It could be ready by 2022. The study compared the Palmovka site with five other locations and evaluated the one in Prague 9 as the most favorable.

According to the councilor for health in Prague 9, Taťjana Horká (ODS), the municipal council was not informed about the possibility and does not agree with the potential construction. "About a year ago, I spoke with Mr. Director of the ambulance service, Petr Kolouch, and this location was not mentioned at all," she stated. She added that the council did not offer the city any locations for construction. "We do not have space, and if we did, we would want to use it for our residents," she added. The area of the polyclinic is managed by the municipality.

Prague councilor for health Radek Lacko (ANO) responded that the Prosek polyclinic is a backup solution for the city. "Our clear preference is the Palmovka option, as we have expressed many times. However, we would be poor managers if we did not have a plan B," he stated. He added that the city is trying to resolve disputes with Prague 8 as quickly as possible.

In addition to Palmovka and the polyclinic, the study considered the possibility of building on the premises of the Na Bulovce Hospital, the Vinohradská Hospital, and a location in Prague 13. Another proposed option was to use the current headquarters of the ambulance service located on Korunní Street, which also houses the municipal police headquarters that would need to be relocated.

The main advantage of the preferred Palmovka center, according to the study, is that it is already under construction and could be operational within two years. About a third of the building's space could also be commercially rented out, with the proceeds covering the operational costs of the spaces used by the ambulance service.

The building at Palmovka was originally constructed by the district as its headquarters, but the current administration has lost interest in it. The land beneath the under-construction building belongs to the city of Prague. Recently, the magistrate, the Prague 8 district, its company Centrum Palmovka, and the construction company Metrostav announced their intention to sign a memorandum committing them to negotiate the withdrawal of mutual lawsuits and to settle out of court. The construction of the center, costing over 1.1 billion crowns, was approved by Prague 8 in 2010, and construction began in 2014. Currently, construction work is on hold due to legal disputes.