Hradec Králové wants to involve the public in the project of revitalizing the Grand Square

Hradec Králové - The Hradec Králové City Hall intends to involve the public in the long-planned reconstruction of the historical Great Square. People will be able to express their opinions, comments, and suggestions regarding the appearance of the square until the end of the year through personal meetings, online debates, or by filling out a questionnaire on the internet, said City Hall spokesperson Kateřina Rohlíčková. The Great Square currently primarily serves as a parking lot for about 250 cars. The center is asphalted, and the paving along its perimeter is in poor condition.

Both experts and the general public, residents, and entrepreneurs can participate in the debate about the square's appearance. "The Great Square is the heart of our city, and decisions about its future should involve all of us," said Deputy Mayor for Investments Lukáš Řádek (TOP 09). The city plans to use the ideas, comments, and suggestions obtained from the public for the creation of the project and preparation for the reconstruction.

By the end of the year, the city plans to facilitate 14 different meetings with residents, entrepreneurs, institutions, and experts through the collaborating company Participation Factory. A public meeting is scheduled for November 23 in the conference room of the football stadium. An online discussion will take place on December 13, and interested parties can already fill out the questionnaire on the web. Creative workshops will also be part of the project in selected primary schools in Hradec.

The city has been planning the square's repair, estimated at a quarter of a billion crowns, since 2007, based on a proposal by Hradec's ARN studio, led by architect Jiří Krejčík from 2009. Due to objections from some residents, mainly regarding the intended reduction of parking spaces in the square, construction has not yet begun. The city's various attempts to unblock the situation have not been successful so far.

This year, the City Hall decided to change the basic concept of the square's reconstruction and incorporate a number of new demands. The creators of the original concept agreed with the City Hall that, based on their authorship rights, they would make a fundamental evolution of the original concept. They should, for example, check the possibilities of calming or completely restricting traffic on V Kopečku street based on the city's request. The city is also asking for an increase in green areas in the square and a change of solid surfaces to permeable or absorbent ones.

Hradec's City Hall has also obtained a European grant for the square's repair, but in 2012, the city returned the money due to concerns about not meeting the deadline set by the grant. The issuance of a zoning decision has been under review by the building authority in Hořice since August 2016, where the territorial proceedings were transferred due to suspicions of bias in the city leadership and the Hradec authority. In 2018, the city had the damaged surface of the square temporarily repaired.

For most political entities in Hradec Králové, the reconstruction of the damaged square is a traditional pre-election topic. For the current city hall coalition, which consists of four entities led by the Hradec Democratic Club and ODS, the preparation for the reconstruction of the Great Square is one of the main priorities.