Extraordinary Meeting in Statenice Falls Apart: Pre-Election Squabbles Replace a Vote

An extraordinary session of the local council in Statenice, a village just outside Prague, effectively fell through: councillors failed to approve the agenda, no official minutes were kept, and instead of formal decisions, the meeting turned into what was essentially a pre-election debate over issues raised by the opposition.

The session was called in response to last year's local referendum, in which residents demanded that the municipal authorities push developers to provide adequate social infrastructure alongside new housing projects, and that any building permits be tied to the relocation of the road connecting the D7 and D8 highways.

What the Municipal Leadership Said

According to Statenice mayor Michal Pokorný (ODS), the municipal leadership gave attendees a detailed briefing on all ongoing negotiations — covering changes to the zoning plan, construction of a wastewater treatment plant, a new water main, and a kindergarten along with school facilities. He noted that the information was presented by legal representatives of both the municipality and the developer.

Shortly before the meeting, municipal authorities published a list of agreements reached with developers. In Paradnice Park, the municipality already holds a permit to build a new kindergarten, which will be funded through developer contributions. For a second kindergarten, Statenice will receive a plot of 7,000 square meters, with investors again covering the costs.

In addition, the municipality is set to receive a plot of 18,000 square meters: part of it will be used for building an elementary school, while the sale of the remaining land is expected to bring in nearly a quarter of a billion crowns — all of which will go toward financing the school's construction.

Treatment Plant, Water Supply, and a Ban on Apartments in the Chateau

"We're also receiving a plot from the developer for the wastewater treatment plant, with costs to be shared between us. The developer will build, at its own expense, a new drinking water main from Úholičky and will contribute to the expansion of the water and sewage network. We've also signed an agreement guaranteeing that no apartments will be built in part of the chateau," said Mayor Pokorný. Instead of housing, that space will host a public area with a café, a doctor's office, and other services.

According to the mayor, the new treatment plant has approved capacity for 6,000 residents, with room to expand to 8,000, of which 2,000 are reserved for the municipality's own needs. The new water main is expected to improve water supply across both Statenice and Černý Vůl.

Opposition Unhappy with the Meeting's Format

The opposition group Sousedství (Neighborhood) said on its Facebook page that the meeting's agenda was never approved, no minutes were taken, and the gathering turned into "improvised pre-election debates" centered on points raised by the opposition. One of the key demands behind calling the extraordinary session had been to obtain up-to-date information on the progress of the new treatment plant's construction.

On the transport issue, the mayor said the municipality's priority is to limit through-traffic and to negotiate with the region and the City of Prague "as a confident, self-assured municipality — not as a village people simply drive through."

Statenice's development continues to spark debate on social media as well. Jakub Dietrich, a long-time supporter of civic initiatives and the Sousedství group — and now a former resident of Statenice — wrote: "New housing construction in Statenice needs to be accepted as a given. The terms agreed with Alfa (Mangi, Horizon) are objectively good — if the municipality wants to look decent and keep developing, private funding is simply unavoidable. Neither the municipality nor the developer can move forward without the treatment plant, so there's really nothing left to discuss — it just needs to be built quickly, with costs already trimmed to a minimum."

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Around Prague, based on reporting by prazskypatriot.cz