History of the construction preparation
1. Overview of the reasons for the construction
The construction of a new building for two schools of the Evangelical Academy (EA) is a project that is significant in terms of both its scope and its impact. The investment in a modern, environmentally sustainable building in Prague, using the právo stavby on a plot of land in Prague 7, with significant public subsidies and own funds, is a unique opportunity. The building, located in a district with good transport links, will serve two schools of the Evangelical Academy, which enjoy a good reputation and occupy a firm and promising place in the education system. Both schools have been operating in inadequate conditions to date, but the new building will provide space for 200 pupils at the Bratrská Primary School and 200 pupils at the EA Praha – Pedagogical Lyceum and Technical College for Social Professions. The implementation of the project could become a flagship for the Church's public commitment to education in cooperation with the local government of Prague 7 and, at the same time, for the Church's responsibility as the sponsor of the EA schools.
2. Development of project preparation
The church leadership has been trying to resolve the critical situation facing the EA schools in Prague with regard to their premises, which they rent in buildings owned by the Prague 4 and Prague 7 districts, for almost ten years.
The search for an alternative rental option was unsuccessful, which is why the Synodal Council presented two projects for the construction of new buildings in Prague 7 and 12 to the Synod in 2017 and 2018. However, due to complications with the building permit, the Synodal Council, in consultation with the Synod, decided to discontinue the project in Prague 12 - Modřany and submitted a proposal to the Synod in 2021 to amend the construction project in Prague 7, which would enable the joint operation of the Bratrská škola and EA Praha while meeting the energy requirements of the SFŽP modernisation programme. The amended project was developed in cooperation with both schools. Subsequently, negotiations were held on the granting of the land use and building permits, and an application for funding from the SFŽP amounting to approximately one third of the construction costs was successfully submitted.
3. Legal framework
The project to construct a new school building for the Bratrská škola and EA Praha is being implemented on land owned by the Prague 7 municipal authority on the basis of a contract concluded on 31 January 2018 between the ECBB and the Prague 7 municipal authority on the establishment of a právo stavby in the version of addenda nos. 1 to 5. The contract guarantees the ECCB the right to build on the district's land free of charge for 99 years (in accordance with § 1240 et seq. of the Civil Code). It also specifies the conditions for the use of the building for the EA schools.
The application for a building permit for both construction phases was submitted on 6 April 2023, after the tender procedure for the first construction phase was cancelled in January 2023 and the project work was completed in accordance with the amended tender for the second construction phase. The building permit was granted on 28 August 2023. Following an appeal by the party to the proceedings, the neighbouring housing cooperative Železničářů 17 (BDŽ), we have been negotiating since September 2023 on the conditions under which this appeal could be withdrawn. The result of the negotiations was a tripartite agreement between ECCCB, BDŽ and the Prague 7 district, on the basis of which the appeal was withdrawn and the building permit became legally valid on 21 March 2024.