Praha 1 will prepare objections to the modification of the surroundings of the Intercontinental hotel

Prague - The Prague 1 Town Hall will prepare objections for the zoning process regarding the plan to modify the surroundings of the Intercontinental Hotel, which includes the construction of a building on the adjacent piazza. Today, after a debate lasting more than three hours, the representatives of the city district decided without specifying the exact objections that would be raised. The opposition and some local residents do not like the plan for the new building. On Monday, the councilors of the capital decided to submit an objection against the construction on the piazza.

The zoning process began on January 28, and objections can be submitted within 15 days of delivery to the participants of the proceedings. The city district and the magistrate do not decide on the construction permit; it is up to the building authority, which falls under the so-called delegated powers of the state administration. Self-governments are merely participants in the proceedings who can submit objections.

After a long discussion, the representatives today approved that the town hall will prepare objections that must first be discussed by the committee for spatial development and approved by the city district council. According to the adopted resolution, they should "summarize the doubts of the city district" regarding whether the investor has met all necessary conditions for granting consent or whether the construction is in the public interest. The council also authorized Mayor Petr Hejma (STAN) to convene an extraordinary council on the topic if the building authority makes a decision.

The hotel has been owned since January 2019 by the R2G fund of entrepreneurs Oldřich Šlemr, Eduard Kučera, and Pavel Baudiš, who are preparing reconstruction and modifications of the surroundings. These include the criticized construction on the piazza next to the hotel and two other smaller buildings. According to the owners' plans, there will also be a passage to the Vltava River, a new square, and the hotel's gardens will be made accessible. All modifications are to be financed by the investor.

In the discussion about the plan at today's meeting, besides the representatives, investor representatives and local residents also participated. According to critics, nothing should be built on the area in front of the hotel, which has been named after director Miloš Forman since 2018. Supporters of the project stressed that the area is currently neglected, with a large part occupied by exhausts from underground garages, and that the construction, considering the qualities of other planned modifications, does not interfere with anything.

The designer of the modifications, Marek Tichý, stated at the meeting that the entire proposal is comprehensive and removing the building from the piazza would harm it. The chairman of the board of the R2G fund, Michal Smrek, added that the project is one whole not only from an urban and architectural perspective but also from an economic one. "Investments in public space must at least minimally, partially return," he said.

Opposition representative Tomáš Vích (Pirates) stated that the plan is in conflict with the zoning plan, even though the municipal department of spatial development issued a positive opinion. Vích criticized the head of the department, Martin Čemus, at the meeting. "In my opinion, it will sooner or later become clear that this official is not the right person in the right place and that he is essentially bending it to help those large megalomaniacal intentions in the heritage reservation," he said. "I am convinced that we are in accordance with the zoning plan," Tichý commented on this.

On Monday, Prague councilors also expressed disagreement with the construction on the piazza and decided to submit an objection on behalf of the capital city. According to today's information, the Ministry of Culture has provisionally decided that the Intercontinental Hotel will not gain the status of a cultural monument.