Interviews

Tomáš Hřebík: Many People Judge Us Just By the Unfinished Palmovka

Published: 14. 3. 2020
Author: Karel Černý
Photo: archives of Tomáš Hřebík
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It is always agreeable to meet a man who is not only a councillor, but also truly a local patriot in the best sense of the word. Tomáš Hřebík, councillor of Prague 8, is such a man.

It’s progressing successfully. Proposal to change the zoning plan has been submitted for the area in question, and presently, we are preparing a zoning study, which will include background studies, in fact several of them: there will be one for the area or Košinky, Dolní Libeň, and the area around the Libeň Gasholder. A traffic audit is another important study carried out for this area. There is one significant change we propose, the southern bypass of Libeň which should help a lot traffic in the whole of Karlín and Libeň in the future in connection with the new developments.  In addition, there has been approved a change in the removal of the Palmovka tunnel from the zoning plan. The study should also examine the traffic around the Libeň bridge. I believe that the changes we have planned are perceived positively by all concerned parties as well as by the public. Apart from these studies, there will be some smaller changes  the citizens will be able to see already next year: the repair of the station house, a temporary park or container café. There will also be initially bigger changes coming with the construction of the Palmovka ONE complex, which will spread over the entire territory of the current bus station and which is expected to begin in two years. It will also include the construction of a new square named after Bohumil Hrabal, of course with a tribute to the writer in the form of a statue or other artistic rendition for which we’ll open a call. Other important projects that I would like to implement include the Rohan Park, the revitalization of the Libeň island and the construction of a sports venue of city-wide importance at Šutka (especially the construction of an outdoor swimming pool and accommodation for athletes), and the construction of multifunctional hall for sports that are not easily supported by the state, such as handball, basketball, floorball, and softball.

 

What is, apart from Palmovka, the most important thing to deal with in Prague 8?

It’s rather complicated, as many people judge us just by to the unfinished Palmovka. However, generally speaking, the most important thing is to get Prague 8 to a good financial shape from the finance point of view. We took it over in big financial trouble, facing bankruptcy. I think that after the first year of our administration, we managed to stabilize the situation, introduce savings and set a financial plan for both regular operations and investments.

 

What about the Libeň bridge, very much discussed some time ago? What's its destiny? And how does the renovation of the Negrelli viaduct continue?

As far as the future of the Libeň bridge is concerned, my opinion is that it should be demolished and a new one should be built. It is the only rational solution. I am fed up with listening to nonsensical deliberations on renovating it. Unfortunately, it is a political decision, where there is no place for being rational. Every expert in the field will tell you clearly that the most economical and technically advantageous option is to build a brand-new bridge. Another significant argument is the difference in maintenance costs and lifetime of a new bridge and a repaired one, which is almost  half. We will have to pay the difference from our taxes, and we are talking about hundreds of millions, even billions. Since the bridge was not registered as a cultural monument after several futile attempts, I see the effort to renovate it at any cost as a very uneconomical decision. However, at present, the Prague municipal council doesn’t know yet what to do about the Libeň bridge; debates are underway, but a concrete, feasible plan is nowhere in sight. Negrelli's viaduct is a more cheerful story; thanks to a huge investment from European funds, the Railway Infrastructure Administration could start a very successful renovation. It should be finished this year, when also the second phase will begin, during which, based on a conceptual study carried out by the Prague’s municipal office, commercial and cultural spaces will be built in the arcades under the bridge. These will be, technically and structurally, prepared for commerce, culture and sports. Given that the bridge is located in Prague 8, I hope that Prague 8 will also contribute to this concept.

 

Are there any projects in which the municipal council or the state must participate? And if so, is the cooperation running smoothly, or are there any problems?

Yes, the most important issue the municipal council participates in is the decision on how to deal with the dilapidated torso of the unfinished New Town Hall at Palmovka. We have been cooperating in the area of sport with the state, where we would need the newly established National Sports Agency to contribute financially to the construction of a new multifunctional sports hall in Prague 8. Unfortunately, both the cooperation with the Prague’s municipal council as well as with the state, are not exactly smooth. I see the greatest hindrance to smooth cooperation in the differing interests of the parties concerned, and in the lack of expertise, experience and competences of the people who make or have the ambition to make the decisions about the future development.

 

What do you consider to be the biggest pros and cons in your council's work since the elections?

As the best gains of our council, I see the submission of several important proposals for the zoning plan changes, promotion of an important transport solution in Libeň – the southern bypass of Libeň and stabilization of the Palmovka area; and, in cooperation with the municipal council and Prague Institute of Planning and development, preparation of zoning for the whole area. I consider the biggest loss the inability of the town hall management to agree with the Prague’s municipal council even after year’s discussions on the solution of the building of the New Town Hall at Palmovka, which, due to the inertia and incompetence of some parties, keeps on deteriorating and draining a lot of cash.

Tomáš Hřebík (born on 24th October 1979 in Prague) is a member of the STAN (Mayors and Independents) party and a councillor of Prague 8 district elected for TOP 09 and Mayors and Independents - Joined Forces for Prague 8.

He graduated from the University of Economics in Prague, where he later also lectured. At present, he is still active at the Department of Economic Policy and lectures his own accredited course named Finding Competitive Advantages.

He worked for KPMG (Assistant Auditor) and owned and ran a network of English kindergartens for five years.

He is single and childless; he likes sports, spending time in his weekend house and with a glass of good wine. Presently, his greatest passion is building a small farm where he would like to breed sheep and goats in the future.

 

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