Praha city councilors rejected the construction near Džbán, they argued about the land for hours

Prague - Prague will not adopt a change to the zoning plan that would allow the company Molepo to build on the land around the Džbán reservoir. The proposal for the change was rejected by city councilors late last night. During the approximately seven-hour discussion of a petition from local residents, a dispute broke out in which councilors, particularly from Prague Sobě and ODS, accused each other. Ultimately, the councilors instructed the board to negotiate with the landowners with the aim that the city could ensure the recreational function of the area around the reservoir itself.

The area near Džbán was auctioned off to the company Molepo from the assets of the dissolved state enterprise Prague Sewage and Water Streams in 2012 for about 53 million crowns. The leader of Prague Sobě, Jan Čižinský, described the then-procedure, in which some current ODS councilors were involved, as non-standard. He called on the company to transfer the land back to the city at the original price. Representatives of the company and ODS strongly rejected the criticism of the then-procedure.

The councilors rejected the proposal to change the zoning plan, without which the company cannot build the planned residential buildings along Evropská Street in Prague 6. Molepo recently closed the swimming pool, citing that it was in a state of emergency and that it had no funds for its reconstruction without construction. Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09) pointed out today that the rejection of the proposal resolves nothing and the company can submit it again. According to him, the only chance lies in negotiations with the owners for a solution; the company claims it is willing to do so.

During the discussion of the petition against the development, which was signed by approximately 11,500 people, the discussion among the councilors escalated. Čižinský reiterated that, according to him, the city had repeatedly had the opportunity to acquire the land during the sale under ODS leadership, but did not take advantage of it. The councilor for property at that time was the current councilor Alexandra Udženija (ODS), and the liquidation of the state enterprise was overseen by the current chairman of the ODS council club, Zdeněk Zajíček, at the Ministry of Finance.

He denied that the land around Džbán was sold in any non-standard way and stated that he would demand a public apology from Čižinský and consider legal action. "What you are trying to create is just a monstrous construction fulfilling your interests. No one violated anything here," he said. Udženija also sharply rejected the suspicions, stating that from the side of Prague Sobě, it was only an election campaign. Čižinský added that the timing is not related to the elections, but to the development of the case, the closure of the swimming pool, and the protests of local residents.

During the meeting, representatives of the petitioners also spoke, as well as representatives of the company Molepo. The company's media representative, Jakub Splavec, rejected claims that the company was blackmailing the capital city, stating that it wanted to negotiate with Prague 6 and the magistrate. Co-owner of the company and ODS member Vladimír Schmalz then said that he purchased his share in the company only in 2019, several years after the sale of the land. "As a minority shareholder of the company, I have never participated in any negotiations with the local government," he said.

He added that Prague Sobě is in a conflict of interest because in 2018 it received a million crown sponsorship donation from a company that owns neighboring land. According to Pavel Zelenka (Prague Sobě), the donation from the company bpd partners was standard and declared as a campaign contribution. "I don't see what the sensation is in that," he said, adding that it is not a conflict of interest. Čižinský added that Prague Sobě accepted the donation because the company's owners are patrons who give large amounts of money to public welfare projects. He stated that he only learned this week that the company owns land near Džbán.