People and politicians criticize the Prague city hall over the change in the zoning plan

Prague - Some residents of Prague 4-Braník and politicians from the Green Party of Prague 4 and 5 are complaining about the city's attempts to approve an increase in the construction coefficient for approximately 160 plots. The material that will approve the change is to be discussed by the councillors of the capital city on Tuesday. Critics label the change as non-transparent and being approved "behind closed doors." According to Prague's leadership, however, the city cannot act differently at this time; they were approved in previous years and are now just "finalized." Changes will still be discussed by the councilors.
    The criticized changes were created and approved by the city hall between 2011 and 2013. This raised the so-called construction coefficient on the land, which means that taller buildings can be erected than originally anticipated by the zoning plan. This process accelerates the approval process compared to a "regular" change in the zoning plan. The areas affected by the changes are practically throughout Prague.
    "We are surprised why Mayor Hudeček is trying to retroactively legalize all the amendments to the zoning plan from the time of Mayor Bém. We thought that TOP 09 agreed with us that these amendments were approved by the city hall behind closed doors precisely because they were problematic," stated Adéla Gjuričová from the civic association Náš Braník. They have already filed a lawsuit against the city hall concerning a change issued in 2011 in the Braník area.
    The chairman of the Prague Green Party (SZ), Petr Štěpánek, and the chairman of SZ in Prague 5, Lukáš Budín, see the problem similarly. "The increase in coefficients occurred in a completely non-transparent and illegal manner without public participation directly benefiting the developer. They cannot be approved uniformly; we demand their discussion with the public on a case-by-case basis," stated Štěpánek.
    According to the city's leadership, the city hall has no choice but to approve the changes. Historically, they have already been approved, and by rejecting them now, the city would issue contradictory decisions. Moreover, it is reportedly likely that if the city halted the process, many investors would sue the city due to the thwarted investment. "We must use all legal procedures to rectify the situation, even if we do not agree with the changes in substance. That is also why the system of urban planning is being changed, so that similar excesses do not occur," stated Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09) for ČTK.
    Currently, the city hall is facing one lawsuit from residents. People from Prague 4 are suing it due to a change in the zoning plan in Braník on the land delineated by the streets Ke Krči, Vrbová, and Kunratický stream. The owners of the surrounding properties are upset that the city hall approved in 2011 a change to the zoning plan that allows the developer Skanska to build a set of up to seven-story buildings here. This change is also on the list that the council is set to approve.