Prague can expand to include other municipalities
At the moment, the municipality is discussing what would be necessary to do for the expansion of the city. According to some politicians, Přezletice might not be the only one. However, no one from the municipality has yet contacted other municipalities. Unofficially, there is also talk of connecting, for example, Hostivice, Vestec, Šestajovic or Jenštěja and Radonic. But for the last two, the request is unlikely.
“I believe that it would be appropriate to reach out to other municipalities as well, so that it eventually spreads in one wave,” said Miroslav Poche (ČSSD), chairman of the infrastructure committee of the Prague council. According to him, about a dozen laws need to be changed in connection with the annexation, and eventually the city’s zoning plan.
Any requests from other municipalities will also be considered
However, it is possible to include new municipalities there even in the last stage of preparation, i.e. next year. During the first discussion of Přezletic’s application last fall, Deputy Mayor Rudolf Blažek (ODS) said basically the same thing as Poche. But now his party colleagues seem to be wavering.
“I don’t think we should try to convince anyone, but we will consider all possible requests from other municipalities. We will definitely not beg Hostivice, for example, to join the city,” Mayor Pavel Bém (ODS) said in exaggeration.
The mayor of Hostivice had previously discussed this topic with the city management, but according to the opposition, this case would not be advantageous for Prague. “They don’t want to pay a single crown, on the contrary, they would like to join the Prague cleaner. Moreover, by connecting to all the infrastructure, land prices would rise significantly for them,” said a source from the Prague City Hall.
The reduction of the number of city districts is being discussed
Poche sees the situation similarly. “Prague already has a considerable infrastructure debt, and it will of course deepen with the addition of other municipalities. In the case of Přezletic, but also other municipalities on the eastern border of the metropolis, it is logical despite that,” said Poche. According to him, in the case of Hostivica, the subsequent necessary investments in infrastructure could reach up to three quarters of a billion.
According to the Social Democracy, checking the interest of the surrounding municipalities would also be important with regard to the entire legislative process, for example in connection with the draft of the new law on the capital city of Prague, where there are applications for the possible merger of smaller city districts to a total of only 22 of the current fifty-seven.
“It would be good to know how many municipalities could join Prague, and then consider the scope of possible mergers. The local authority, on the other hand, is best acquainted with the local problems of the people, therefore a radical reduction in the number of city districts is not entirely desirable, although it would be economically beneficial,” noted Poche.
The reduction in the number of town halls is mainly promoted by the communists, and not even individuals from other political clubs in the Prague council oppose it.