Change regarding the Žižkov Station is awaiting a decision from the ministry

Prague - A change to the zoning plan, which should allow for the redevelopment of the Nákladové nádraží Žižkov, is awaiting a decision from the Ministry of Culture (MK) regarding the declaration of the station building as a monument. According to Jitka Cvetlerová, the director of the municipal planning department, although the change is still being prepared, it cannot be issued before the ministry's decision. The main station building has been declared a monument, but the investor appealed the decision, and Minister of Culture Jiří Besser subsequently returned the matter to the heritage protectors for reassessment.
    The change to the zoning plan concerning the Žižkov station is part of a package of city-wide significant changes that the city is discussing separately from the preparation of a new zoning plan. Some of the changes will be discussed with the public this week. According to Cvetlerová, the magistrate is still collecting comments from the affected authorities on the plans to redevelop Prague's stations, including the Žižkov station. "For now, we are preparing the change, but we will not approve it until the proceedings at the Ministry of Culture are resolved," Cvetlerová told ČTK.
    The association Tady není developerovo (TND), which advocates for the preservation of the station building, believes that a decision regarding the Žižkov station will not be made at the Prague magistrate by the end of the year. "It will depend, however, on whether the heritage commission of the Ministry of Culture makes the same decision on the same issue and declares the station building a monument again, or whether it will be influenced by developer pressures. We expect a decision on this during the autumn," said opposition councilor of Prague 3 and member of the association Matěj Stropnický (SZ).
    The investor, who wants to build a new district for about 15,000 people in the area, is also preparing for the MK's decision. The investor is the company Žižkov Station Development, owned by Sekyra Group and České dráhy. "We are trying to communicate with the ministry, and we are processing various alternatives. Each has its negatives," said Leoš Anderle, the executive director of Sekyra Group, to ČTK. According to him, the option of preserving the station building would worsen the traffic accessibility of this locality. In the location of the building, the extension of Olšanská Street is being considered, which should connect to Jarovská connection. However, no decision has been made on any option, according to Anderle. According to Cvetlerová, there is also the possibility of preserving the southern wing of the building and the interior space with the transshipment area. However, heritage protectors and the TND association want to preserve the entire building.
    According to a previous decision by the Ministry of Culture, the main building, the adjacent gatehouses, and the fencing could become a monument. The main building, shaped like a "U," consists of an administrative part along Jana Želivského Street and two wings of the transshipment areas. The wings of the building are connected only at the basement level; on the surface, they appear as separate buildings. The declaration of the building as a monument is supported by the National Heritage Institute and the Club for Old Prague.
    Nákladové nádraží Žižkov remains under preliminary protection even after Minister Besser's decision, which protects the building from demolition. The case is now to be considered by the heritage care department of the MK.