The association criticizes the magistrate for the planned construction in Pankrác

PRAGUE - The city’s Department of Environmental Protection decided, according to the Arnika association, that the project for one of the two high-rise buildings planned for the Pankrác Plain in Prague 4 will not be assessed for its environmental impact. The representatives of the initiative are not pleased with this. The director of the department, Jan Winkler, claims that the association is mistaken.
"The magistrate's decision is shocking. The law allows officials to waive the environmental impact assessment, but in practice, this happens only for trivial intentions against which no one has any objections," Martin Skalský from Arnika told ČTK. According to him, the office resorted to an undemocratic way of decision-making; it allegedly prevented people from expressing their views on the intention during the environmental assessment process.
"The statement that we do not require an assessment of this building for its environmental impact is not true," Winkler told ČTK today. He said a shortened assessment was conducted and the public could submit comments. "Arnika did not participate in the process at all," the director pointed out.
The new building, which is intended to serve as a hotel, according to him, will not significantly impact the environment, and therefore the magistrate did not request further reports. According to Winkler, the problem of the plain is transportation, which the investor must resolve in advance.
Several civic associations have been criticizing the plan for the construction of high-rise buildings for some time. Previously, they even stated that it could jeopardize the inclusion of the heritage reserve on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Jan Kněžínek, the director of the magistrate's heritage department, dismissed this as nonsense at the time. He said that the National Heritage Institute had also issued a positive opinion on the study.
Two more high-rise buildings are planned to be added to the existing ones at Pankrác. They are not to exceed the height of the former Motokov, now City Empiria. According to the original plans, they were supposed to be taller than the currently tallest building there, which previously belonged to the radio and is now called City Tower.
According to the investor company ECM, the new buildings will be beneficial for the local residents. The project also anticipates the creation of a cultural center and spaces for shops and services that are currently missing there.