The representatives of H. Králové approved the urban plan, the city had been preparing it since 2009

Hradec Králové - The representatives of Hradec Králové today approved a new urban plan for the city, which will be a fundamental document for the future development of the hundred-thousand city. The urban plan has been in preparation since 2009. Until now, Hradec Králové has been guided by an urban plan from 2000, which was designed for a ten-year period. The adoption of the new document has been among the priorities of the current city council coalition led by the Hradec Democratic Club and ODS.

A total of 31 representatives voted in favor of the approval. No one voted against, three representatives abstained from voting, and three were either absent or did not vote.

According to the city hall, the new urban plan should create conditions for the development of transport and technical infrastructure as well as civic amenities, while also taking into account the protection of nature and the landscape. The document, created by the authors' association Tomáš Vymetálek Architects and architect Patrik Kotas, builds on the current circular layout of the city given by the plan of Josef Gočár from the first half of the 20th century. The development axis is seen heading west towards the D11 motorway.

The urban plan places emphasis on residential development, with new areas designated for leisure activities. "This includes locations in Moravské Předměstí, Třebš and also in the Pouchov-Věkoše area. A change is also taking place in the Northern area, which was more industrial in the past. Primarily, these are again areas designated for housing and the construction of civic amenities," stated the city hall.

The urban plan considers further industrial development in the Slezské Předměstí area. New spaces for production and storage are anticipated around the planned northern bypass of the city, known as the northern tangent.

The deputy mayor for urban planning and proposer of the urban plan, Adam Záruba (Change for Hradec), stated that the new urban plan is a key document, especially for residential construction, civic amenities, and transport in the city. "The draft plan has been publicly discussed three times in 2012, 2016, and in 2024," said Záruba. Vymetálek added that it was necessary to address nearly 4,500 comments and objections.

According to the Pirates, the new urban plan will allow the preparation of the construction of 1,200 cooperative apartments for young people in the so-called Northern zone. "In addition, it will unblock the project for a new asylum house, which would improve the situation at the train station, or the construction of parking garages in the Slezské Předměstí," said councilor Aleš Dohnal (Pirates).

The representatives were supposed to discuss the approval of the urban plan last December. To gain more time for mutual discussion, they postponed the decision to January. The delay stemmed from the city hall's consideration of whether to include a so-called transitional provision in the urban plan. This provision would have allowed investors to complete already initiated permitting processes under the old urban plan. However, according to the city hall, including a transitional provision would carry the risk that the amendment would need to be publicly discussed, which would delay the issuance of the urban plan. Today, the representatives approved the urban plan without a transitional provision.

The city is governed by a coalition of four parties, namely the coalition of the Hradec Democratic Club (HDK) and TOP 09, ODS, Pirates, and the Change for Hradec and Greens grouping. The four coalition parties hold 18 mandates, and they uphold a majority in the 37-member council with the help of three defectors elected under the Develop Hradec and the ANO movement.