Prague wants to start building on the Holešovice brownfield in four years

Prague - One of the largest neglected areas in Prague is expected to begin transformation in about four years. The city leadership wants to build, for example, a concert hall on the Bubny-Zátory brownfield in Holešovice, and an administrative center for state officials is also being considered. The Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) informed about the city's plans today. By the end of May, it will select a contractor for the zoning study, which will propose further development of the area. Currently, construction in the area is blocked by a building moratorium, which the city hall aims to lift within two years.

The study, which will be prepared by an external architectural office, aims to propose a strategy for transforming the neglected area of 110 hectares into a new district. The study is to be completed by the end of this summer, and according to previous information, its preparation will cost three million crowns.

According to the outlined schedule, Prague's leadership intends to commission a subsequent change to the zoning plan in September, which should be approved in 2020. In the same year, the city hall plans to lift the construction moratorium that currently prevents any construction in the area. City leadership wants to allow exceptions to the moratorium a year earlier.

Construction in the area could begin according to the city hall leadership in four years. It is not yet entirely clear what could grow on the brownfield. It is intended to be coordinated construction involving the city, state, and private investors. Architectural competitions should be announced in the future for individual constructions.

One of the plans that the current Prague leadership has for the area is the construction of a concert hall. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) previously came up with the idea that a "government district" could be built there, where officials from some ministries in downtown Prague would move. The construction of such a complex is included in the government's program statement, but the idea has elicited mixed reactions in the Prague environment.

Bubny-Zátory, along with, for example, the Žižkov Freight Station and the Smíchov Station, is one of the so-called major development areas in the metropolis. The owner of part of the land, Orco Property Group, plans to build a new district with apartments, office spaces, schools, and healthcare facilities. A total of 1.2 million square meters of above-ground space is expected to be developed here.