Auto Show Carimex, the largest unauthorized construction in Plzeň, is set to disappear by September 2024

Plzeň - The seven-story shell of the former Carimex car showroom on Rokycanská Street, which locals call "glass hell," will disappear no later than the end of September next year. The city council today approved a postponement of partial construction deadlines for shops and apartments on the sites beneath the largest unapproved building in the city, the remnants of which have marred Plzeň for nearly a quarter of a century. The deadline for the demolition decision, including the assumption of legal validity, has been pushed back by four months to July 31 of this year, said city spokesperson Hana Josefová to ČTK. The demolition date remains unchanged.

The deadline for submitting an application for the issuance of a zoning decision has also been postponed by seven months to the end of this year. According to the agreement, the demolition is to take place within four months of the assumption of its legal validity. The deadline for submitting an application for a building permit has been moved from June 30, 2024, to September 30, 2024. "The new deadlines will not jeopardize the actual removal of the building, which has been in a dilapidated state for many years and is an embarrassment to the area, through which a busy road leads between Plzeň and Prague," said Deputy Mayor Pavel Bosák (Pirates). The council also mandated investors to secure the building against unauthorized entry by third parties by the end of this September and to remove debris from the site.

The demolition of Carimex remains a condition for Plzeň to sell its land, on which Carimex stands, to developers. The investors then want to build the Úslava Centre in this area. The first phase will involve commercial and administrative buildings, and the second phase will involve residential buildings, said Bosák.

There is still agreement between the city and the investors on the demolition of Carimex no later than the end of September 2024. This deadline arises from the summation of maximum periods from the cooperation agreement signed last May between the city and Plzeň Waterworks on one side, and the investors InterCora s.r.o. and two companies that own Carimex - MS Letná a.s. and RP Letná a.s. on the other side.

The demolition and subsequent construction are being prepared by local developers InterCora and BC Real. In addition to "glass hell," they will also have to remove a car wash, service center, and car dealership, which is the main reason for postponing the partial deadlines.

The construction of the office and shopping center is set to begin in 2025. For this, investors also need city-owned land, of which there is less than half. Once the Carimex shell is demolished, the city will sell them the land. Plzeň is also changing the zoning plan to allow for residential construction starting around 2029. According to InterCora's CEO Ivan Hlaváček, the team has been working on the new development project for 2.5 years.

The building permit for Carimex, i.e., the Renault showroom, dates back to 1997. The Plzeň entrepreneur expanded the building without permission by several additions and three floors. The unfinished building then deteriorated for years and was inhabited by homeless people. Legal disputes over the determination of land ownership are ongoing. The investors promised to ensure the withdrawal of the lawsuit against the city, which was filed by the previous owner of the site.