Praha 6 filed a lawsuit due to the project Polar Bear

Prague - Prague 6 has filed a lawsuit against the PPF subsidiary regarding the controversial project Ice Bear, which was supposed to be built at Victory Square. The municipal district is demanding more than 12 million crowns for the lease of the land. The city hall announced this in a press release today. The company Victory Square, which belongs to the PPF Real Estate family, also wants to sue. It recently filed a lawsuit against Prague 6.
"The company Victory Square has not been complying with its contractual obligations and has refused to pay fixed fees since the end of 2014," the city hall stated in a declaration. The lease agreement concerning the municipal land at Victory Square was entered into by both parties in mid-2011. "Since the company has not adequately responded to the sent reminder, the city hall management had no choice but to resort to filing a lawsuit for performance at the District Court for Prague 6," the municipal district informed.
However, the investor sees the situation differently. "The existing easement agreement assumed that the project would already be realized by this time. Unfortunately, that is not the case; nevertheless, the company Victory Square has paid nearly 31 million crowns in rent over the past years," said Miroslav Beneš, spokesperson for the company Victory Square, in response to ČTK in January.
The placement of the disputed building, the so-called Ice Bear, has been a heated topic of discussion in Dejvice for several years. The design by architect Radan Hubička provokes mixed reactions from the public and professionals.
The Prague City Hall recently annulled the zoning decision. According to them, the project is not in accordance with the zoning plan and the requirements of heritage protection. The investor also failed to succeed with a cassation complaint. Moreover, the Ministry of Culture revoked last year the positive assessment from the municipal heritage officials, deeming such a large structure unacceptable.
The building was intended to complete the currently open block of houses, fundamentally transforming the appearance of the square. The investor states that the construction would bring new services for residents alongside administrative spaces. However, opponents point to the size of the planned building. Civic associations and the opposition also criticize politicians for past decisions regarding the municipal land, where the city hall decided, in collaboration with a private investor, to build a commercial building instead of the previously planned town hall building. Ultimately, Prague 6 renounced participation in the project, but the Ice Bear investor retains a preemptive right to the land.
The richest Czech, Petr Kellner, who is behind the PPF group, is preparing other significant construction projects in Prague. The demolition of the Hotel Prague and the planned construction of a school, coincidentally also in Dejvice near Victory Square, have attracted the most attention. Moreover, Kellner continues to plan the construction of the tallest Czech skyscraper in Chodov.