With an underground parking plan approved, reconstruction work on the Hotel Carlton may finally begin.Rick Zedník
Overcoming what was said to be a major hurdle in the effort to reconstruct Bratislava's Hotel Carlton, the hotel's new owners secured an agreement to build 300 new parking spaces in front of the building under Hviezdoslavovo námestie.
According to Milan Vajda, the spokesman for Mayor Peter Kresánek, the city agreed to the parking plan with Bratcarl s.r.o., the Belgian-owned firm that two years ago won the tender to reconstruct Hotel Carlton. Vajda said a solution to add parking was required before Bratcarl would progress with reconstruction.
The plan is to build a 300-car garage under Hviezdoslavovo námestie in front of the hotel and the city's opera house. Bratcarl and the city had originally hoped to create about 1,000 parking spaces, but Vajda said public opinion - which was against the removal of the city's trees - as well as technical and financial considerations all played a part in decreasing the size of the proposed garage.
