Prague 8 will pay Metrostav about CZK 142 million for the unfinished Palmovka Center
Prague – The City Hall of Prague 8 will pay the company Metrostav Alfa approximately CZK 142 million for the unfinished building of the Palmovka Center. The building with the land will then become the property of the capital. This follows from a tripartite agreement, the wording of which was approved today by the city councils. In exchange, the City of Prague 8 will receive a subsidy of CZK 550 million from the municipality and at the same time the city will forgive its debt. Part of the opposition today criticized the management of the town hall, when, according to her, the city district did not have any buildings or land left and lost money.
The construction of the building, where the town hall was to have a new headquarters and include commercial premises, was approved by the previous management of the city district in 2010. The costs were estimated at more than a billion at the time. However, the previous management of Prague 8 stopped the construction and subsequently its ownership was tried.
“The settlement agreement should put an end to all claims of the parties involved. The fact that this (completion problem) will be terminated will mean that the whole area in Palmovka will be developed comprehensively. a compromise that I would rejoice at, but I think is acceptable. “ said Mayor Ondrej Gros (ODS).
The agreement has yet to be approved by the councilors and representatives of the capital and will then be signed by the parties. In September this year, the Prague leadership agreed with the move through Mayor Zdeněk Hřiba (Pirates) and Councilor Jan Chabr (TOP 09).
The result of the negotiations was criticized by some representatives of the opposition. “These are Lipany, it can’t be called anything but defeat,” said opposition representative Tomáš Němeček (8 lives). In his opinion, there are several problematic parts of the agreement, including, for example, the amount of 142 million that the town hall must pay to the construction company. The opposition representative Ondřej Buršík (8 lives) had a similar opinion, according to which the town hall paid hundreds of millions of crowns and in the end will not have a building, money or land.
Mayor Gros and Councilor Tomáš Slabihoudek (TOP 09 / STAN) said that Metrostav sued the town hall and would have to pay up to 214 million in the event of a lost dispute. “By making concessions, if the agreement takes effect, Metrostav will withdraw its lawsuits,” said Slabihoudek. “We were threatened with a higher amount to pay than the one in settlement. In addition, the municipality will forgive us a debt of 250 million crowns,” Gros added.
Němeček also drew attention to the lost dispute with one of the former people interested in renting space in the Nová Palmovka building. According to Gros, although this dispute was unsuccessful for the city district, another is said to be imminent. “They are time-barred. This was the only dispute that was launched in time,” he said.