Prague will change the zoning plan to allow the construction of a hall at Vltavská

Prague - The Prague City Hall will change the zoning plan to enable the planned construction of a concert hall near the Vltavská metro station. This was decided today by city representatives. Prague plans to announce an architectural competition for the design of the philharmonic, and is currently having a feasibility study prepared. According to earlier information, the hall could be built in 2032.

The study and the change in the zoning plan will be developed in parallel, with the change being processed in a so-called expedited procedure. "The procedure we proposed will save the city and the philharmonic project almost two years compared to what would happen if we continued according to the opinion of the previous city leadership, that is, according to the original change to the zoning plan from 2008. We definitively ended that in October," said Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09).

The construction of a concert hall with state-of-the-art parameters accommodating approximately 2000 listeners is estimated to cost around four billion crowns, although a more precise estimate will come from the upcoming study. Additional billions of crowns will need to be invested in infrastructure at Vltavská.

City representatives already approved the procurement of a change in the zoning plan in October, which concerns the entire Bubny-Zátory brownfield, where a new district is expected to be developed, which will include a concert hall. An urban study is also being created for the area, from which the change should derive. According to its proposal, up to 25,000 people are expected to live there in the future, with apartments, offices, a park, and several railway stops to be built. There is currently a construction ban in the area covering 110 hectares.

Discussions about building a large concert hall in Prague have been ongoing for decades. The most debated issue has been the suitable location. The hall could have been built in Letná in the 1990s - at the site where the construction of the National Library, designed by architect Jan Kaplický, was also considered. Japanese investors wanted to donate the building to the Czech Philharmonic for its 100th anniversary. The then Minister of Culture Milan Uhde and Mayor Milan Kondr rejected their offer.