Budapest ‘surprised’ by Erzsébet Square transfer to state

Budapest, December 1 (MTI) – Budapest metropolitan council on Thursday expressed its “surprise” that ownership of central Budapest’s Erzsébet Square has been transferred to the state.

Parliament approved a law on transferring some council-owned property into the ownership of the state, and this includes the transfer of Erzsébet Square, the council said in a statement on Thursday, insisting it had not been consulted prior to the change.

“Hopefully these kinds of decisions will not become regular,” the statement said.

Under the law, four properties located on Erzsébet Square will be included in the transfer. The justification of the law says the square as a public park will thus be handled and operated in a unified way.

János Fónagy, state secretary at the national development ministry, said earlier there were no plans to “build in” Erzsébet Square and that the change affects only the pavement which surrounds the square, which has four different land registry numbers.

Photo: VinceB

Source: MTI