The appeal could delay the construction of the house in Wenceslas Square by several years

Prague - The approval for the construction of a building at the corner of Wenceslas Square and Opletalova Street may be delayed for several years. The reason may be potential appeals against all the permits required by the builder. Oldřich Dajbych, head of the building department of Prague 1, said this today to ČTK. The building authority is now considering whether it will review the appeals against the zoning permit and the demolition permit. How many appeals have been filed and how many of them will be accepted will be known by the office at the beginning of next week. A part of experts and the public is protesting against the demolition of the building.
    The investor, the company Flow East, wants to replace the corner building, the former printing house on Opletalova Street, and a large plot in the courtyard with a modern structure. They aim to obtain all necessary permits by the end of this year, after which they would begin demolition and subsequently construction.
    However, according to Dajbych, obtaining all permits, including consent for demolition, zoning permit, and building permit, could stretch over several years. The reason is the processing of all "regular and extraordinary remedies" that participants in the proceedings may use. "My estimate is that it could take four to six years," Dajbych warned. He added, however, that "according to the file review, the builder has fulfilled all statutory and project obligations".
    In September, the building authority issued a demolition permit and simultaneously the zoning decision. However, none of these has yet acquired legal validity. On Monday, the deadline during which participants could appeal expired for both proceedings.
    According to available information, the Prague magistrate, the co-owner of one of the neighboring buildings, and ČTK, which owns the building next door, have appealed against the zoning decision. "The magistrate's appeal will be rejected as confusing and inadmissible," Dajbych said. The same official from the magistrate issued a favorable opinion at the beginning of the proceedings and has now signed a negative one. Whether the other appeals will be accepted for further consideration will be decided by the building authority next week.
    The Czech News Agency has appealed against the demolition of the house because the demolition process did not sufficiently exclude potential damage to the ČTK building, stated the management of ČTK.
    Flow East wants to demolish the corner house, part of the technological extensions of the Jalta Hotel, and part of the torso of the former printing house on Opletalova Street. A new building is set to rise in its place, which will have nine above-ground floors and will be two floors higher than the neighboring structures. The two upper floors will gradually set back. The building's footprint will form an L shape.
    The building will also have three underground levels. According to the plans, shops are to be located on the upper level and two above-ground floors, with offices in the remaining above-ground parts.
    Debates around the project have been ongoing for several months, and there have been multiple demonstrations against the demolition. However, in July, the acting Minister of Culture, Alena Hanáková, decided that the building would not be protected as a monument, which opened the way for requesting its demolition.
    The company has owned the building since 1994. The costs of the project, including the purchase of the land and the building, are said to reach billions of crowns; the new construction is expected to cost another billion. The investor's plan has been criticized by numerous experts in recent years.