Karacsony: City leadership insists on 2019 investment plan for Budapest area

Karacsony slammed the government for choosing an investor in an interstate agreement before negotiating on what to implement, and he insisted that the issue enjoyed a broad professional and political consensus.

He said the state was involved in the investment as a financier and owner, but it should also involve the city’s leadership.

The mayor said the zone in question should be compact and green, with 8-10 thousand apartments and 30-40 hectares of public park.

The minister of construction and transport announced on Monday that Hungary’s government was in talks with the world’s top property developers on a 5 billion euro project that would transform the 130 hectare area into a “millennium city centre”. The would elevate Budapest to the ranks of modern global cities, Janos Lazar told a press conference. The initial assessment and depollution work would cost around 20 billion forints (EUR 52.8m), Lazar said, noting that the government had committed to carrying out around 1 billion euros worth of infrastructure investments.