In spite of protests by civil groups concerned that the reconstruction will mar the quarter, construction will to ahead on some 11,000 square metres of living space, 2,800 square metres of mall and business space and a 254-space underground garage near the capital's Grand Synagogue, said Tordai, who is also the vice president of the Association of Jewish Communities in Hungary (MAZSHISZ).
Tordai noted that the mayor's office of District VII, where the project is located, supported the developer's plan and assisted moving out the residents of the area under reconstruction. Those who moved were given a new or a resale flat as well as cash compensation, he said.
The developers were given the go-ahead for the project in principal in 2004, and the Cultural Heritage Protection Office (KÖH) awarded them the final permits at the end of 2006.
Tordai said his company bought the properties in 1993, adding that he had much to do with having the area recognised as a district "attached" to the area along Andrássy Street, which is a World Heritage site.
"Renew, but protect that which is valuable," Tordai said.
The Herzl Passage will include a kosher restaurant, a Klezmer café and a memorial room for Theodor Herzl, the father of Zionism.
Múlt-kor / Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
