Investor once again submitted the plan for the animal crematorium in Zličín

Prague - The investor has once again submitted a plan for a crematorium and pet cemetery in Prague-Zličín for review by the authorities. The documentation has been published in the environmental impact assessment system EIA. The original version of the project was not supported by the locals or the municipality. They argue that it would disrupt the protective zone of the water supply, and a forest park is planned in the area of construction.

The company Benefit Development plans to build the crematorium on private land near residential buildings and a children's playground in the Na Prameništi park. "Compared to the previous proposal, the plan in its current state of project preparation has been slightly modified, reduced, and the construction of a garden restaurant is not being considered," the document states. The scattering meadow has also been canceled, and ashes can only be placed in a columbarium or in a watertight container in the ground with a memorial on the surface.

It is expected that up to 945 kilograms of dead animals will be incinerated daily, but the capacity will generally not be utilized according to the documents. Aside from the crematorium facilities, plans include the construction of an office, a store for burial supplies, a flower shop with greenhouses, and a stonemasonry. There will be an area with columbariums and memorials.

A petition signed by more than 4,000 people against the incinerator has been submitted by the Zličín municipal district to the Ministry of the Environment, and the capital city as well as the surrounding municipalities have rejected the plan. They believe the project is not in line with the zoning plan. However, the investor disagrees, stating that the project does not need to be assessed under the Burial Law since it does not involve the incineration of human remains.

A pet crematorium opened in mid-2015 in Běchovice. Unlike Zličín, its surroundings do not provide a site for burying pets; the facility is situated among industrial enterprises. According to the law, the owner must either bury the dead animal in the ground on their own property or take it to a rendering plant. It does not belong in waste and is considered hazardous waste. Another option is cremation.

In 2013, an animal crematorium started operating, accepting orders in Prague’s Strašnice, with a cremation oven located in Zápy near Čelákovice. The first similar facility in the Czech Republic has been in operation since 2003 in Brno. In addition to cremation, pet owners can bury their pets in animal cemeteries, which are located in places like Brno, Prague, Kutná Hora, or at the foothill of Mount Říp near Vražkov. Prices for burial typically range in the thousands of crowns, and cremation costs a similar amount.