Praha 8 wants to build a sports park on Rohanský Island

Prague - The Prague 8 municipality wants to build a recreational-sport complex with a water surface on Rohanský Island. It should be created in the area between the bike path and the Vltava River. The mayor of Prague 8, Roman Petrus (ČSSD), and the director of the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), Petr Hlaváček, told ČTK today. The municipality hopes to develop the space before the elections in 2018, and will now begin discussions with the city council and IPR about its specific use.
    "I contacted IPR to conduct a study, and subsequently, we would create a recreational-sport area and bring this place to life,” said Petrus. According to him, there were previously issued territorial decisions and two building permits for the area, each containing different information. "Different data are also included in the territorial plan,” added Petrus.
    In addition to the sports and relaxation center, there should be a water surface created. According to the mayor, it will not be filled from the Vltava, but from waterworks. "The sports facilities could be developed, for example, by Charles University. Part of the area must be leased; not everything can be operated as public, but it should be properly combined,” said Petrus.
    The area belongs to the capital city, and a river originally flowed through it. "The city modified the area in the 1930s to allow for construction. It's up to IPR, the city council, and Prague 8 to evaluate the mentioned materials and determine what makes sense in them, leading to the first battle plan for what the area could look like," said Hlaváček.
    Prague will pay for the conceptual study for the area development, and afterwards, the municipality, city council, and IPR will perform a preliminary evaluation of the project and decide on the specific financing method. Prague 8 will also conduct its studies. "Regarding the implementation, we first need to determine what we want there; it is possible that part will be built by the city council, part by us, and part by the private sector,” added Petrus.
    The area along the Vltava is currently a flood zone, and the bike path serves as a flood protection embankment. For this reason, no large buildings can be constructed here. According to Petrus, there could be parking lots or facilities for athletes built here. "No massive buildings or restaurants can be here,” said the mayor.
    Buildings are planned to be constructed in the future on Rohanský Island. These will be built by Sekyra Group in an area that is not flood-prone.