Brno wants to resolve a 13-year dispute over the stadium by exchanging homes

Brno - Brno has been dealing with a dispute with businessman Libor Procházka for 13 years, whose properties on city land are blocking the construction of a football stadium behind Lužánky. If the city does not resolve the situation, it risks having to pay Procházka 16 million crowns annually, Brno's mayor Petr Vokřál (ANO) said today to reporters. He stated that Brno lost a court case regarding the use of Procházka's properties as parking lots or roadways. The city faces another court case. The city is in talks with the businessman and is considering exchanging nine houses for Procházka's properties. This is not sitting well with the tenants, who were not informed about it and were previously refused the opportunity to purchase the houses during privatization.

The stadium is set to be built for two billion crowns where the old stadium currently stands. Zbrojovka, which won a championship there in the past, abandoned it at the beginning of the millennium, and it has been deteriorating since then. The new stadium is expected to have 30,000 seats in the stands.

Procházka's properties are estimated to be worth more than a quarter billion crowns. Vokřál mentioned that classic compensation as well as the exchange of some houses or all nine is on the table. Procházka is demanding the houses on Česká, Masarykova, and Průchodní streets. Their value could correspond to the value of his property, and the city wouldn’t need to pay anything extra. However, he is having assessments done on both the businessman’s properties and his own houses. Based on this, he will decide how to resolve the dispute. The city has not communicated with the tenants, which is why people are protesting, as they do not know what will happen to them. "We are negotiating with Mr. Procházka as well, so that in case of a house exchange, he maintains the tenants' relationships. They have long-term contracts there, and our legislation is strict in this regard," Vokřál said. According to him, the city would also offer alternative housing to those tenants who would not wish to remain with the new owner.

According to the mayor, some of the apartments in the city buildings are empty and require 200 million crowns for repairs. Vokřál admitted that the city owes a debt to the residents in this regard and has not done enough repairs. The city wants to negotiate with Procházka to ensure that the properties are brought into good condition in case of an exchange.

Vokřál also pointed out that Procházka had previously won a court case, and if an agreement is not reached, the city would have to pay him 16 million annually for the use of access roads, for example. Another court case regarding 38 million as compensation for previous years is looming. Procházka has underground garages, a hall, and tennis courts on the city land. According to the court, Brno must pay Procházka as compensation for the unjustified use of his property; for example, there is a public parking lot over the garages.