Budapest Mayor urges government to begin talks on Rákosrendező development
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony on Wednesday published an open letter addressed to János Lázár, the construction and transport minister, calling for the start of negotiations between the government and the city regarding the Rákosrendező area in Budapest’s 14th district.
In the letter published on Facebook, Karácsony noted that the government had failed to start talks for 44 days. “I have initiated immediate talks on 17 February (!). In the meantime, Budapest has become the official owner of Rákosrendező, and Lázár minister is the negotiator appointed by the head of government. So? What are we waiting for?” he said.
Regarding the area awaiting development after the municipality exercised its pre-emption rights before it could be sold to an investor from the United Arab Emirates, Karácsony said the cleanup of the area was “the government’s decade-long debt” towards Budapest citizens.
The development should prioritise the interests of Hungarians rather than those of investors, he said. “The state owes Budapest citizens everything it had agreed to [in talks with] the Arab investor.” At the same time, the state must not expect the municipality to shoulder more than what the original investor would have had to do under the contract, he said.
The master plan of the development should be based on earlier plans on the development of the area, a railway development strategy and the earlier design studies for an overpass and road developments, he said. No house higher than 90 meters should be built, he said.
Further, the government and the city must agree on the use of real estate under joint ownership, to be followed by the city taking ownership of the area and the elimination of waste there, Karácsony said, adding that the costs of removing the waste should be paid by those who placed it there. The city would undertake the removal of communal waste if the owner is not identifiable, he said.
He also called for an agreement on the legislation and other government steps concerning the area, “and the content of state-funded infrastructure development”. “There is a lot to do, but the basic principle is clear: Budapest citizens should be entitled to the same things the Arab investor would have received. I’m expecting János Lázár to come to the table,” he said.
Read also: