The team of experts will assess the proposal for the metropolitan plan for two months

Prague - A team of experts will assess the proposal for a new land use, so-called metropolitan plan, for two months, which has been criticized by the Prague city hall, city districts, and experts, said Deputy Petra Kolínská (Troika/Greens) after the council meeting. A timeline for the preparation of the plan and a proposal for personnel changes in the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), which is preparing the plan, will be established by the end of August. The metropolitan plan, which will determine where and what can be built, is expected to take effect from 2020. The preparation is delayed.

Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) said that a complete audit of the IPR organization would be available by the end of the week. She had previously stated that the audit revealed serious shortcomings. "We needed to investigate some circumstances related to the processes that occurred in the field of public procurement," Krnáčová said today. "We will receive the additional report by the end of the week, and then we will evaluate with the lawyers how to conclude the audit and what steps to take," she added. In the past, she spoke about dismissing the director of IPR, Petr Hlaváček, for whom hundreds of people signed a petition in support.

A partial personnel change has already occurred. Hlaváček dismissed Roman Koucký, the head of the section responsible for urban planning, on Friday. Koucký remains a regular employee. Originally, IPR announced that it had opened a selection procedure for Koucký's position, stating that he would hold the position until IPR selects his successor.

According to the urban plan, all construction in the city is governed. It determines where construction is allowed and where public spaces or greenery must remain. The metropolitan plan should also bring height regulations for buildings. Prague must have it approved by the latest by 2020. The preparation of the new plan has so far cost the city around 50 million crowns.

IPR was established by transforming the City Development Authority under Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (independent, then TOP 09). The institute is tasked, among other things, with preparing a new land use plan and planning the city's development. IPR is profiling itself as a professional workplace focused on research activities in the fields of architecture, urbanism, development, urban creation, and management. The annual budget is approximately 300 million crowns.