The representatives halted the preparation of the urban plan for Prague for the third time

Prague - Today, the city councilors approved for the third time the halt to the preparation of a new urban plan and the initiation of preparations for a so-called metropolitan plan during an extraordinary meeting. The groundbreaking change in urban planning proposed by TOP 09 nearly sparked the first serious discord within the coalition. However, ODS ultimately voted in favor of the proposal. The opposition again stood against it. The discussion among councilors before the vote lasted several hours. The change in the urban planning system is expected to reduce corruption and simplify processes.
      The council was supposed to approve the proposal already twice. At the first meeting, the councilors only approved the intention to terminate the drafting of the new urban plan and prepare another one. At the next meeting, the material was withdrawn due to a letter from the Ministry for Regional Development, which had reservations about Prague's approach. However, from the subsequent statement of the ministry, it ultimately emerged that the city has the authority to decide on the urban plan. It did warn about possible future lawsuits from investors and landowners who expect the urban plan to be approved in their favor.
      Due to this, a heated discussion took place at today's meeting. Opposition councilors expressed concerns about the legality of Prague's approach. "At this moment, the proposal is not votable. It provides grounds for a legal dispute," said councilor Daniel Hodek (ČSSD). ODS was not entirely united either. ODS councilor Boris Šťastný unsuccessfully proposed to suspend the discussion for the same reasons stated by the opposition, and ultimately voted against the preparation of the metropolitan plan.
      The proposer of the proposals, Deputy Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09), claims that, according to legal opinions, Prague faces no issues. This was also confirmed by the councilor for legislation, Lukáš Manhart (TOP 09). "The documents are fully in accordance with the current legal regulations," he stated.
      The metropolitan plan is intended to be simpler and will only set maximum burdens on the area. According to Hudeček, this will limit opportunities for corruption. The multi-stage plan emphasizes the city's structure, namely the height and character of buildings or the layout of streets. More detailed documentation will be prepared for certain areas. Hudeček previously stated that some influential groups were trying to thwart his plan. According to unofficial information, the approval of the material in previous meetings was primarily blocked by certain ODS councilors.
      Councilor Karel Březina (ČSSD) stated that Prague will become a "test rabbit" for new urban planning. The ČSSD group unsuccessfully proposed removing items from the agenda. Critics mainly point to the change in the scale of the plan, which will make it less detailed. "You are taking away the chance for people to express their opinions on the changes," stated social democrat councilor Miloslav Ludvík. However, according to Hudeček, detailed documentation will be prepared for certain areas.