Land for the government district in Letňany is agriculturally valuable

Prague - The land on which a government quarter could be built in the Prague district of Letňany is agriculturally valuable. The black soil on the properties, which are classified in the cadastre as arable land, is marked as very productive, and the land is classified under the first class of protection of agricultural land funds. Properties in this class can only be removed from the agricultural land fund exceptionally. This is evident from the information in the land register.

The regulation of the Ministry of the Environment divides land into five classes, with the first class providing the highest protection. "The most valuable soils in individual climatic regions, predominantly on flat or only mildly sloping land, which can only be removed from the agricultural land fund exceptionally, mainly for purposes related to the restoration of ecological landscape stability, or for linear constructions of fundamental importance," states the designation of the land.

The land designated for administrative buildings is also highly rated in terms of yield. On a scale from six to one hundred, where a score of six indicates agriculturally insignificant land and one hundred indicates highly productive land with stabilized yields, the land in question is rated 87 points, thus classified as very productive.

According to Jiří Jaklín from the company Agro21, the price per square meter of black soil in Central Bohemia ranges from 25 to 30 crowns, and in the immediate vicinity of Prague, around 40 crowns. However, when the land is designated for construction, prices are significantly higher, according to him.

Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) met with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) on Wednesday regarding the further use of city-owned land in Letňany, with the construction of an administrative complex still being rejected. After the meeting, both politicians stated that they would continue negotiations. The city demands the creation of a multifunctional quarter, where, however, there could also be a complex for officials. However, the city administration is setting conditions, demanding payment from the state for the completion of the city ring road for 60 billion crowns. They also want to acquire the Karlín barracks and the remainder of the area of the Bulovka Hospital from the state. According to Hřib, officials from the Škodův palác could move to the barracks after 2028, and city apartments could be built on the hospital land.

The method of negotiation has been criticized by the mayors of the affected districts, namely Prague 9, Letňany, Kbely, and Čakovice. Representatives of the affected districts have thus far not been invited to the negotiations. "We fundamentally disagree that decisions are being made about us without us, and that agreements are being made behind our backs that will affect the lives and futures of more than 20,000 citizens of our district," stated the mayor of Letňany, Zdeněk Kučera (ANO). According to other mayors, it is necessary to first address the traffic situation in the area, which further construction could complicate.

The use of the land, covering more than 30 hectares near the metro station, has been under discussion by the city for some time. Currently, it is a field, and in the past, for example, the then-mayor Pavel Bém wanted to build an Olympic Games complex on the parcels.

In the past, former Minister of Agriculture Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) repeatedly fought against constructions on quality agricultural land. The cabinet of Bohuslav Sobotka (ČSSD) did not approve support for building an industrial zone near Veselí nad Lužnicí two years ago for this reason. Last summer, he initiated a petition against the planned appropriation of quality agricultural land around Hněvotín near Olomouc. The planned transformation of approximately 44 hectares of fertile land into an area for a biomedical center and a potential industrial zone did not have legal support according to Jurečka, as it was not in the public interest.