Agreement reached on Prague 7 mall

Prague 7 Town Hall has approved a modified form of a shopping mall to be called Palác Stromovka, which is to be located on a triangle between the streets Veletržní, Strojnická and U Studánky. The Town Hall at the same time canceled the administrative process to revoke the building permit. The dispute had been going on for several months. Opposition politicians from the Civic Democrats (ODS) opposed the decision.

The mall will be lower than originally planned and changes have been made to the facade so it conforms to the street line. It will also include parking for residents and a memorial for Holocaust victims. The building should be finished in 2018.

Local people and the current Town Hall had opposed the original design. They said it would bring too much traffic into the already congested area and that a round glass tower did not aesthetically fit in.

According to the agreement reached between the Town Hall and the company Holešovický Trojúhelník, the new design is three stories, or some 10 meters, lower than the original. The glass cylindrical tower will no longer be included. There will also be a better street entrance and a passage, according to Prague 7 Mayor Jan Čižinský (KDU-ČSL). Night parking will cost Kč 20.

The lot is owned by the Prague 7 district and will be leased for 99 years, instead of 105 years in the original contract. Rent will remain at Kč 5 million per year.

Prague 7 Councilor Tomáš Kaštovský (ODS) however said the new lease was less advantageous to Prague 7, and favored a private investor. Rent during construction was lower, for example.

The mall was originally expected to open at the end of 2017. Before the new compromise, Palác Stromovka is described as a multifunctional shopping and office project. “Palác Stromovka will offer a supermarket and shopping mall, restaurants and cafeterias, parking and easily accessible, open green terraces for relaxation and leisure. The center will provide a wide range of shops and services currently missing in the area, and to give popular leisure amenities for local residents,” the project website states.

The site of the future mall during World War II was used for the deportation of Czech Jews, who were taken to the nearby Praha–Bubny railway station. A small plaque already exists at the Parkhotel, which is also on Veletržní street.