Praha 12 wants to build a new town hall from scratch

Prague - Prague 12 wants to build a new town hall from scratch. This option was recommended to the municipal district by an analysis that aimed to identify the most suitable solution. Marek Rejman (Change for Prague 12), the deputy mayor, said this to ČTK today. The intention was approved by the district council over the weekend. The town hall thus withdraws from the original plan to renovate the Prior shopping center, which the previous leadership had already begun to implement. Former mayor and opposition councilor of Prague 12 Petr Hána (ODS) criticizes the plan to build a new town hall.
The office is currently located in seven different places, and the town hall wants to consolidate the employees. The previous leadership wanted to convert the former Prior shopping center into the town hall. So far, the ground floor shopping arcade has been renovated, costing about 90 million crowns. A renovation of the other floors was supposed to follow. Initial estimates put the renovation costs of Prior at a maximum of 390 million. However, according to the town hall, it would be necessary to update the calculations, which could then rise to 450 million crowns.
According to the current leadership, this plan was oversized. According to an analysis prepared for Prague 12 by Ernst & Young, building a new building would be more advantageous. "The analysis showed that building a town hall from scratch would be at least 77 million crowns cheaper. The new building also offers better technical facilities for the functioning of the municipal office and better service for citizens," Rejman stated. According to Rejman, the municipal district owns land that could be used for the town hall. The councilors will now decide on the next steps.
The plan to build a new town hall is criticized by former mayor Hána, who claims that the municipal district has previously assessed several locations for the town hall and the renovation of Prior seemed the best option. "The current assessment of other alternatives is postponing the construction of the town hall indefinitely," Hána asserts. The town hall will first need to obtain a zoning decision and a building permit.
The former Prior shopping center was acquired by Prague 12 years ago from the capital. According to Hána, the building, along with the adjacent parking lot, was entrusted to the municipal district for the purpose of constructing the town hall. If this goal is not fulfilled, Hána suggests that Prior could be taken away from the town hall.
Some other municipal districts are also planning new town halls. For example, Prague 8 wants to build a town hall at Palmovka for about 1.1 billion crowns, which would also include a shopping center. Prague 7 is looking for a new headquarters as it currently operates in rented premises. Prague 4 has decided to accept an offer for leasing space in the Budějovická polyclinic. Over 35 years, they will pay 1.8 billion crowns in rent.