Chrastava will sue over the demolition of the dilapidated Kovák hostel

Chrastava - Chrastava in the Liberec region will sue over the allowance for the demolition of the dilapidated Kovák dormitory. This was stated today by the mayor of Chrastava, Michael Canov (Mayors for the Liberec Region). The local building authority has already ordered the demolition of the long-unused building three times, but the Regional Office in Liberec has always overturned the decision. Similarly, in the past, regional officials recommended against demolishing a house on T. G. Masaryk Street in Nový Bor, which the municipal office sought. Over the weekend, the roof of this house collapsed under the weight of snow.

"In November 2012, we expressed our opinion on the condition of the building in Nový Bor based on the documentation sent by the building authority in relation to the necessary security work performed. The critical factor for us were the static assessments issued for this building up to that date. None of them indicated that the entire structure should be removed. However, four years have passed since that assessment, and the structural condition could have changed," said today the spokesperson for the regional office, Markéta Dědková. According to her, officials recommended that the building authority regularly monitor the condition of the house.

Due to the roof collapse of the building, one of the main roads in Nový Bor had to be closed. "Because there is a risk that part of the abandoned house could collapse onto the street, part of the main road T. G. M. is closed, and we also had to divert the bus route," said the mayor, Jaromír Dvořák (Mayors for the Liberec Region). Today, the owner began tearing down the building up to the height of the first floor. "That might then allow us to reopen the road," the mayor said. However, the municipal office is having its own structural assessment done because it wants the entire building to be removed. According to Dvořák, it is not safe.

In Chrastava, they do not want to wait for something similar to happen. The municipal office has therefore filed a lawsuit in court, seeking the annulment of the regional office's decision. "Additionally, we have requested the Czech Ministry for Local Development to review the regional office's decision," said Canov. The municipal office wants the dilapidated and seven-year-vacant property to disappear, fearing that the collapsing structure could seriously injure or even kill someone. In the latest decision, however, officials indicated that it is sufficient to demolish the defective parts, such as infill walls, and leave the basic skeleton, which can be used. According to the mayor, that is nonsense.

According to regional officials, the legal conditions for ordering the removal of the building have not been met. "The building authority in Chrastava has not proven in its decision that the entire structure is in such a defective state that it must be completely removed. According to the expert assessment, the building is not defective as a whole; only its parts are," said Dědková. It cannot be argued that removing the defective parts is economically unfeasible for the owner, and thus order the complete removal of the entire structure. The municipality could only consider this if it were its property and not that of a private owner.

The Kovák dormitory was built in the 1970s for apprentices of the then Chrastava plant Elitex. In the mid-1990s, the building was acquired by the Prague entrepreneur Radim Urban, who converted it into a dormitory. As many as 200 people stayed there, even though the capacity was not even half full. Due to unsatisfactory conditions, the building had to be vacated at the beginning of 2010. The owner then tried to sell it unsuccessfully. Two years ago, he proposed a project to convert the dilapidated house into small apartments. However, the councilors rejected the 27 million koruna project. They do not believe that a dormitory would not be established there again.

Mayor Canov admits that in the case of Kovák, there is no immediate danger of the building collapsing. "The building authority must, however, order demolition even if the house is in such a state that threatens the health or lives of people or animals, if the owner does not remove the defects within the specified period," the mayor stated. According to him, the building is dangerous, which was confirmed by an expert assessment. The condition of the house is, according to Canov, still deteriorating, and the owner is doing nothing about it. The municipal office is prepared to arrange the demolition itself if necessary, similar to how it had a dilapidated cultural house demolished three years ago. In such a case, the costs will be claimed from the owner in court.