The Nová Palmovka Centre in Prague 8 is intended as a new centre for European space research. Photo credit: Prague 8 Pirate Party.
Prague, June 13 (BD) – At yesterday’s meeting, Prague City Councillors approved the issue of a tender for a contractor to oversee the transformation of the central space of the Nová Palmovka Centre in Prague 8, which is intended as a new centre for European space research. The capital is preparing a project for the Ministries of Transport and Finance and is cooperating intensively with these ministries.
Prague previously signed a host agreement with the European Space Program Agency (EUSPA), as a result of which EUSPA is now headquartered in premises near Vltava. In 2021, the Prague Development Company (PDS) was entrusted with the project preparation of a new headquarters on municipal land in Palmovka. In 2022, an agreement was concluded between the City of Prague and the Ministry of Finance on a lease agreement for the use of the Nová Palmovka Center by EUSPA, lasting 25 years. The Prague development company has prepared the technical conditions for the tendering process for a public contract.
“The plan which has been approved is an important step forward for several reasons,” said Mayor of Prague Bohuslav Svoboda. “The site on Palmovka, which has been under construction for years, will finally find a necessary use, and for the capital city, the new seat of the European Space Agency will mean not only the expansion of the activities of this important institution and the growth of Prague’s prestige, but also a number of other economic opportunities.”
If approved by Prague council, the public contract will be entered in the so-called Design & Build format. The transformation of the building will thus consist of three steps: construction implementation of the extension of the existing administrative building; project preparation of adapting the building to the needs of EUSPA (the so-called fit-out of an administrative building) and related permits and subsequent construction implementation of the fit-out.
“As part of the tender process, we plan to find one experienced contractor for the design and implementation part of the transformation of the Nová Palmovka Centre. This will help the coherence and efficiency of the entire process, and EUSPA will be able to use the headquarters as soon as possible due to contractual obligations on the part of the city. Construction work should start at the beginning of next year,” explained Petr Hlaváček, Deputy Mayor for Territorial and Strategic Development.
“The capital city approves the intention to select a supplier who will ensure all necessary activities and construction work in such a way that the agreement of all parties is fulfilled and EUSPA can fully develop in Prague. The costs of this pan-European important building will be close to CZK 2 billion, but the effect on the economy of the city and the entire Czech Republic should pay off this investment in a short time,” said Zdeněk Kovářík, Prague city councillor for the budget.
“Thanks to the Prague Development Company’s active approach to entrusted municipal real estate, it can be estimated that in 2022 alone, the market value of real estate in Palmovka will see an increase in hundreds of millions of crowns. Further project preparation and complete completion of the building for a long-term and highly creditworthy tenant will significantly increase the value of the city’s property,” concludes Adam Zábranský, Prague city councillor for property, legislation and transparency.
If the optimal schedules are met, EUSPA should start operating in Palmovka in 2025.
Written by Tomas Houdek.
