Praha has published an updated draft of the new zoning plan

plan

Prague - Prague today published the current draft of the new urban plan, which incorporates comments from the last round of public consultation. People can familiarize themselves with it online or at the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning, and they can express their opinions on it again until December 3rd. This was announced to journalists today by city representatives. The so-called Metropolitan Plan will replace the current planning document from 1999 and, according to the city leadership, is intended to improve and simplify the planning of the metropolis's development. The city council is expected to approve it in the middle of next year.

The current plan has been in effect since 1999 and, without a change in the law, can be valid until the end of 2028 at most. The preparation of the Metropolitan Plan was approved by the city council in 2013 under Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (then of TOP 09), and five years later, the city Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) published its draft, and the municipal department began discussions on it.

"We want to protect the city's values while allowing for new modern construction in suitable locations," said Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS) today. He added that the current plan is already outdated.

Now, another round of comments will follow, which can be submitted digitally via the Prague Portal. The city has also prepared five training sessions for the public on how to submit comments, and people will be able to view the proposal and have it explained at an exhibition, which will last until the conclusion of the commentary period on December 3rd at the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning in the IPR headquarters in the Emauzy Monastery complex. Two public hearings will then take place at the same location on November 19th and 26th.

In the first round of public consultation in 2018, about 45,000 comments or objections were received regarding the draft; after removing duplicates, around 15,000 remained. The municipal department incorporated these comments, and another round followed in 2022, when, according to the statement of Director of the municipal department of urban development Filip Foglar, around 18,300 submissions were received. Without duplicates, about 11,000 remained, and according to the director, officials fully or partially met around three-quarters of them.

The new plan is expected by the IPR to streamline urban planning and accelerate construction. Compared to the current document, it includes height regulations and divisions into specified locations and their protection, while also allowing for the creation of new districts in existing brownfields. According to IPR information, the plan includes space for the construction of 350,000 apartments.

The plan also provides fairer conditions for developers with a share in financing public facilities through so-called planning agreements and introduces a new calculation of gross floor area, so builders will know how intensively they can construct. Significant transport projects are also included in the plan, from metro construction and city ring roads to new tram lines and high-speed rail.

The Association of Developers today described the publication of the updated version of the plan as a significant step in the long-standing effort for modern and predictable development planning in the capital city. "We hope that the final document will be understandable for its users – officials, experts, and investors – and that it will not be burdened by excessive regulation that would complicate its practical use," said the association's general secretary Zdeněk Soudný.

The draft plan has previously faced criticism from environmental and heritage organizations, among others. Initially, there were disputes surrounding its preparation, which led to the temporary departure of its main author, architect Roman Koucký, from the IPR. Ultimately, he returned to lead the institute's team preparing the plan after winning a selection process and completed the draft.