New precedent? Ministry blocks Trigema’s Prague 12 highrise scheme

The Minister of Regional Development Klara Dostalová has rejected an appeal by the residential developer Trigema against a verdict that her subordinates gave last summer against plans to build to highrises in Prague 12. Trigema had gotten the green light for a 14-storey and an 18-storey apartment building from the City of Prague. But some local residents, including Prague 12's mayor Eva Tylová, were against it and they raised their complaints with the government. They argued that new developments in the housing estate should complement the buildings that are already there rather than creating new landmark structures. Prague's Institute for Planning and Development is pushing for greater density in the city, rather than encouraging development beyond its boders. But the original decision by the ministry was clear. "There are no other buildings with 18 floors and the negative effect of the mass of the new construction on surrounding buildings cannot be permitted," it wrote. Confirmation of this ruling by Minister Dostalová could serve as a precedent which serious implications for the construction of new residential projects in Prague.