To the concept of the zoning plan, Prague received 6000 submissions

Prague - The Prague City Council has eventually received about 6000 submissions regarding the draft of the new municipal zoning plan. At the last meeting of the urban development committee, the director of the city planning department, Jitka Cvetlerová, mentioned this. Praha had expected the number of comments to be about 2000 lower a month ago. According to Cvetlerová, the office will have to deal with about 8000 inputs, as some submissions contain several remarks.
    "As of today, the submissions have neither been registered nor processed from the submission office. Our capacities are not sufficient for this, the construction department will assist us," said Cvetlerová. The director estimates that by the end of February all objections could be sorted and plotted on maps. Only then will they be evaluated for several months, and officials and the relevant authorities will prepare statements regarding the comments. It will then be up to the city leadership to decide whether to accommodate the comments or not.
    The new zoning plan is expected to address the city’s development for the next approximately 15 years and is likely to come into effect in 2012. From the beginning of November to December 9, Prague residents could view its draft and also submit their remarks.
    Comments on the draft have been sent by individuals, city districts, and civic associations. According to information from the City Development Unit, many comments were submitted by owners of small plots who have green areas in their ownership and wish to change them to functions allowing for construction. Many Prague residents who do not own any land, however, requested that the plots around their homes be included in green areas.
    The inputs also reflect several long-standing contentious locations and plans. This includes cases such as the Klánovice golf course, the Prague Ring Road through Suchdol, the connection of the Prague Ring Road in Běchovice, parallel runways at Václav Havel Airport, the planned expansion of the Ďáblice landfill, or the discussed developments in Roztyly and Trojmezí.
    Some Prague residents also request the construction of tunnels on certain busy roads and radial routes. Others want to extend the planned Metro Line D to Žižkov or to extend the planned Metro Line A from Motol to Zličín and on the other side extend the line from Hostivař to Petrovice and Dubče. Gardeners are fighting for the preservation of their gardening colonies.
    The new zoning plan is expected to bring several changes. Compared to the current plan, a novelty will be the height and spatial regulation which should ensure that new buildings do not exceed reasonable capacity and height in relation to their surroundings.
    The plan also includes a new Metro Line D route and the development of tram and railway tracks. It encompasses the construction of the city and Prague ring roads, the expansion of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant, or a tunnel connection between Masaryk and Smíchov stations. However, it will also allow for some controversial projects, such as the construction of a cable car to Dívčí hrady.