A new government bill submitted to Hungary’s Parliament on Tuesday would place several prominent public spaces in central Budapest, as well as a number of properties along the Danube in District 22, under the asset management of the Municipality of Budapest. The proposal would also re-establish the Budapest Public Development Council and set out a new framework for the future of the Planetarium.
The bill, submitted by Minister for Transport and Investment Dávid Vitézy, proposes amendments to legislation concerning the development and management of Budapest properties, as well as road transport. The full proposal is available on the Hungarian Parliament’s website.
Central Budapest squares could come under city management
Under the proposal, Vörösmarty Square, Podmaniczky Square, Széchenyi Square and József Attila Street in District 5 would be transferred free of charge to the asset management of the Municipality of Budapest for 99 years from 1 October.
The measure is justified on the grounds that it would allow the capital to carry out its public duties related to urban development more effectively.
The bill would also repeal a provision that previously entrusted the operation of Erzsébet Square in central Budapest to the District 5 municipality. Under the existing arrangement, contracts for the development and maintenance of green spaces and public areas could be concluded by the Hungarian National Asset Management Company (MNV) on behalf of the state.
According to Vitézy’s proposal, there is no longer a justification for maintaining the restriction concerning the conclusion of such contracts.
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Danube-side properties also included
Several properties in District 22, located along the Danube, would likewise be placed under the asset management of the Municipality of Budapest. The government argues that this is justified because the capital is responsible for the urban planning regulations governing the city’s riverfront areas.
The bill would also transfer the asset management rights for the Planetarium property from the Society for the Dissemination of Scientific Knowledge to the Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport. The stated aim is to facilitate the future use and renovation of the Planetarium.
Changes would affect the City Park and Buda Castle district
The proposed amendments would also affect Budapest’s City Park (Városliget), where maintenance and investment responsibilities would be separated.
The minister responsible for state investments — currently Dávid Vitézy — would be authorised to decide by declaration who acts as the developer for a particular project. Depending on the decision, the developer could be the minister himself, a company wholly owned by the Hungarian state, or a budgetary body.
The minister responsible for state investments would also be authorised to designate a state-owned company or budgetary body as the developer of ongoing projects in the Buda Castle district in order to ensure their completion.
Meanwhile, the bill would keep the House of Fates complex and its neighbouring plots within the state asset portfolio. The properties had previously been earmarked for free transfer to MTK Budapest as part of the planned Alfred Brüll House – Hungarian Jewish Heritage Park project.
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Budapest Public Development Council to return
One of the most significant elements of the proposal is the re-establishment of the Budapest Public Development Council, which would serve as the coordinating and advisory body for development policy in the capital.
The council would have 10 members: five representing the government and five representing the Municipality of Budapest. Decisions would have to be made unanimously. The prime minister would serve as chairman, while the mayor of Budapest would be the co-chair. If the prime minister were unable to attend, a minister designated by him could act in his place.
Vitézy announced on Monday that the Budapest Public Development Council would be re-established. He argued that cooperation between the government and the capital was indispensable, adding that the new body would provide this cooperation with a new professional and political framework.
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