In the Avia area in Prague's Letňany, a district worth CZK 70 billion is set to be developed over the next 25 years

Prague - The investment group Odien plans to build a district with approximately 7,000 apartments for up to 11,000 people on the site of Avia between Prague's Letňany and Čakovice over the next 25 years. The construction costs are estimated at 70 billion crowns. This was announced today by the group's CEO Michael Saran to reporters. The district will be connected to the city center by a modernized railway and a new tram line. According to Saran, the company has begun soil decontamination after industrial production and is waiting for a change in the zoning plan. It hopes to start construction in 2025.

The so-called brownfield, which the company purchased in 2004, spans 66 hectares and is one of the largest in the metropolis. According to Saran, buildings with 910,000 square meters of gross floor area are planned, with 60 to 80 percent of this designated for residential use. The remainder will be allocated for commercial purposes, services, and public amenities, which are intended to occupy 70,000 square meters.

The company is currently finalizing an agreement with the city, under which it is expected to invest 1.5 billion crowns in public infrastructure. The agreement is crucial for the company due to the necessary change in the zoning plan, which it has been waiting for for about 15 years. The Prague council will ultimately approve it, but according to Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09), it will not be completed before the September elections. In the past, the Letňany municipal office had objections to the amendment, and its representatives have not yet supported the proposal. Letňany spokesperson Gabriela Vodičková told ČTK today that the municipality will not comment on the matter for now.

Saran added that Odien has already reached an agreement with the state and started work on the essential decontamination of the brownfield after a century of industrial production. The company is investing 1.5 billion crowns into this. "Avia City is our only development project that we will focus entirely on in the next 25 years," added the director.

The urban design of the district was developed by architect Jakub Cigler's studio. According to him, the plan includes the construction of buildings with six to eight floors and semi-closed blocks that will partially utilize the original structure of the buildings. This will allow the incorporation of existing greenery, which is relatively abundant in the unused areas. "The greenery will be further enhanced by a central park, which essentially serves as the heart of the entire design," added the architect. Prague plans to build two elementary schools in the new district, a new tram line, and improve the transport infrastructure. The plan also includes five kindergartens.

The modernization of the railway line to Mladá Boleslav, which is planned by the Railway Administration (SŽ), will be key for transport accessibility. According to Pavel Paidar, director of the construction preparation department at SŽ, plans for the modernization and double-tracking of the railway segment from Rajská Zahrada to the edge of Prague in Třeboradice are underway, which also includes the reconstruction of the Čakovice railway station. Several new stops will be created in this section. In the future, SŽ also plans to modernize the line up to Mladá Boleslav and is examining the construction of a rapid transit line to Liberec.

Other investors in the metropolis are also planning additional large projects on brownfields. In 2020, the Sekyra Group began construction of a new district in Smíchov, and they are planning a similar project on Rohanský Island in Prague 8. Large developments are also expected at the Žižkov Freight Station, where firms such as Central Group, Sekyra Group, and Penta Real Estate are planning to build. Construction is also planned in the development area of Bubny-Zátory, where, according to the city's study, up to 25,000 people may live in the future. Other brownfields are located in Vysočany, Hloubětín, and the Bohdalec and Slatina areas.

The real estate and investment company Odien was founded by Saran in 2004, according to its website. In addition to real estate and development, it is engaged in investments and energy and employs over 500 people in the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Turkey. The company purchased the Letňany Avia from the Korean group Daewoo in 2004, subsequently capitalized it, and sold the manufacturing part to the Indian company Ashok Leyland Motors in 2007.