Ořechovka will no longer be spoiled by a wooden hostel, it will be replaced by a glass clubhouse
In October, the representatives of Prague 6 approved the press submitted by the council on the donation agreement between the city district and the Tatran Střešovice Physical Education Unit.
Plans to restore the surroundings of tennis courts have so far complicated property relations. While the land is owned by Prague 6, the courts with the former hostel have so far belonged to Tatran. The town hall, as the owner of the entire square, will finally have the opportunity to demolish the hostel and at the same time build a new facility on site according to their own ideas.
Based on the donation agreement, the operation will again be provided by Tatran, which will conclude a lease agreement. The town hall is still negotiating details with Tatran.
“We would not be able to do without the support of Tatran Střešovice, to which this sports ground belongs. Tatran does one job in Prague 6 and it is one of the largest sports clubs in our part. Thanks to this cooperation, he will create a sustainable facility for sports services on site, which with its architecture will fit perfectly into the surroundings, “said Jakub Stárek (ODS), Deputy Mayor for Territorial Development, about the agreement.
Both parties concluded a memorandum of cooperation in 2016, but the locals rejected the first attempt, saying that it was too great an intervention in the original form of the square. The current town hall addressed two local architects and their proposals to meet with locals. The study of the architect Pavel Hnilička, whose design also won the competition for a new solution for Vítězné náměstí, seemed acceptable to the public.
“For more than ten years, I have been trying to recultivate this place and build something that would correspond to this locality. Unfortunately, our unity is not to build anything from our own means of protection. We are a non-profit organization. We could build a shed here, but it wouldn’t be very conceptual or nice, “said TJ Tatran chairman Martin Vaculík. He admits that this time the project of the new playground is close to implementation.
Refreshments and a view on the roof
According to a study by architect Hnilička, the one-storey building with a green roof will be partly made of wood with a glazed view of the courts and the adjacent street. The building has a club room, technical facilities and a place for small snacks with several tables. The roof will also be accessible, which is intended primarily for photographers. The basement will belong entirely to athletes, who will find locker rooms and showers.
According to Stárek, the size of the new tennis court will correspond to the location of the original courts, but the town hall wants the sports ground to be multifunctional.
It will be possible to build a paddle court here, which is a game similar to squash, or an ice rink.
“A new effort to transform the square into the size of a sports ground will not change anything, there is no need to change the zoning plan, and the facilities with a clubhouse and refreshments will be smaller in size than the existing building of the former hostel,” he said.
Tatran donates the hostel, gets the clubhouse back
Although the town hall will gain control of the entire square thanks to a donation agreement, some of the local critics do not find the agreement advantageous.
“At the moment when TJ Tatran intends to donate something probably negative value into the hands of the town hall, which then intends to spend about 30 million for the construction of a new facility and give everything back to the administration of TJ Tatran, such a donor contract is worth paying attention to,” I think Ivan Hanousek, who grew up in Ořechovka and is a member of the Ořechovka Resistance Department group.
He is also bothered by the ambiguity regarding the ownership of the courts. These originally belonged to the associations of the local population, before the communist regime took them from the sports grounds and handed them over to the administration of the then physical education unit. During some of the Spartakiads, a wooden building was also built, which until recently functioned as a hostel.
“We have an affidavit from Tatran that he is the owner of the building and at the same time this was also documented by documents on the lease agreement with the previous owner of the capital’s land, where Prague acknowledged that the buildings are Tatran Střešovice. No one has ever signed up for the construction, and Tatran is obviously the only one who has documentation of the building and has the keys to it, “added Deputy Mayor Jakub Stárek to this criticism.
According to Stárek, the estimate of the price for the new course is actually around 35 million crowns, but due to the current increase in the price of the material, the final price may be higher. “We do not expect a return, just as we do not expect a return with another sports facility, or cultural or social facility,” added Stárek.
The new sports ground should earn money not only on the entrance fee, but also on the sale of refreshments
“The investment will not return, but it is important that it is economically sustainable and viable. We want to make money on the service. The basic idea is that it will not be called the Courts of TJ Tatran Střešovice, but that it will be called the Ořechovka Public Sports Ground, where it will have every opportunity to play sports, “added the chairman of TJ Tatran Martin Vaculík.
Over the next year, City Hall should obtain the necessary permits so that demolition can begin during the holidays. The new facility can then be opened at the beginning of 2023. It depends on whether the town hall will resolve a possible appeal against the decision of the building authority.
For the town hall, this is one of the few chances to transform the area designated according to the zoning plan for sports purposes. There are few such plots in the six city districts and they are mostly already built-up.