Praha 5 agrees with the southern part of the Smíchov city project

Prague – The leadership of Prague 5 agrees with the southern part of the new district Smíchov City, which is being built by the developer Sekyra Group on the brownfield of the former freight station in Smíchov. The company will donate or sell the land for the construction of a primary school to the municipality at a symbolic price. The agreement was approved by the district council last week. The company started building the northern part of the extensive project last year, while the southern part will include the headquarters of Česká spořitelna, office buildings, and a hotel with shops.

The southern part of the project is currently in the documentation preparation phase for zoning approval. The first houses in the northern part near the Na Knížecí bus terminal began construction last September. Almost 400,000 square meters of residential, administrative, commercial, or public areas, including a one-kilometer pedestrian boulevard, are to be created on the site of the former freight station.

The district plans to build a school in the new quarter, for which, according to the agreement, it should receive land from the developer. According to the company's statement, the land is valued at 82.9 million crowns. The investor has also committed to cooperate in the preparations for the school and its connection to the adjacent park and technical infrastructure. The preliminary agreement will be followed by other legally binding documents.

Transport infrastructure is linked to the construction of the new district, the largest of which is the transport terminal at Smíchov railway station. This will be financed by the capital city and is expected to cost several billion crowns. A bus terminal will be built on the roof of the existing train station, which the state plans to renovate. There are also plans for a P+R parking facility and the construction of a new pedestrian bridge at a different location than the existing one.

The decision on the construction permit is not made by the political leadership of Prague 5, nor can it be directly influenced by them. The issuance of zoning decisions and building permits is the responsibility of the building authorities, which, although physically located in the offices of the district councils and organizationally fall under them, their decision-making is subject to so-called delegated authority of state administration and must not be governed by the interests of local self-governments. However, local authorities can submit objections to the ongoing proceedings, appeal, and otherwise legally challenge decisions they disagree with.