Prague will have a change to the zoning plan processed in Bubny

Prague - Prague will prepare a change to the zoning plan, which should allow for the construction of the railway station in Bubny. The city council approved the proposal today. The intention has been presented at council meetings several times before, but it was either not approved or withdrawn from the agenda. In the past, Prague 7, where the station is located, opposed the proposal.
     "Now we can hopefully do something about this scar on the face of Holešovice. And that is precisely why a change to the zoning plan is necessary, which we could hopefully adopt within the next two years," said Deputy Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09), who presented the proposal.
     Councilor Petr Šimůnek (KSČM) criticized the proposal, claiming that the change is unconceptual and does not sufficiently address the traffic servicing of the area. However, Hudeček rejected the criticism, stating that the traffic is being addressed by a study that has been prepared for the proposal.
     The Bubny - Zátory area is a significant development area in the center of the capital. The change to the zoning plan, which will affect about 100 hectares of land, is intended, according to Prague's leadership, to find a compromise between the various interests of developers who plan construction worth tens of billions of crowns. The land in Bubny is owned, for example, by Orco and Prominecon Group. According to earlier information, an office, residential, and commercial complex or even a concert hall, which Prague lacks, could be built in the area.
     Orco Property Group, which holds 24 hectares in Bubny, welcomed the decision of the councilors. "This change will lead to the long-awaited revitalization of the Bubny railway station site, bringing overall rejuvenation to the entire district," stated the company's director Aleš Vobruba in a press release.
     Last year, Prague commissioned a study that is intended to serve as a basis for the upcoming change. The study includes plans for the construction of a northern vestibule for the Vltavská metro station, the creation of two urban boulevards on Argentinská and Brazilská streets, and a new square with a dominant former station building, which could house a Holocaust museum.
     According to Hudeček, the change will be discussed with Prague 7 and local residents for about a year and a half to two years, after which the councilors should approve the area development study. Work on traffic calming and railway modernization could begin in 2016 to 2017. The complete reconstruction of the area could take, according to Hudeček's estimate, 15 to 30 years.