Jičín continues with the demolition of the barracks, which will be replaced by family houses

Jičín - The town of Jičín has announced a tender for the second phase of the demolition of the local barracks. On the approximately five-hectare site of the barracks, a new residential neighborhood could be developed in the future. The estimated costs for the second phase of demolition are 13 million crowns. The town hopes that companies will offer lower prices. If everything goes smoothly, the army buildings could disappear by the summer of next year, the town hall spokesperson Magdaléna Doležalová said today.
    However, the commencement and extent of the demolition will depend on whether the town hall can obtain a grant for the demolition from the Ministry of Regional Development. The support can cover up to 75 percent of the costs. If the town does not receive the grant, the extent of the demolition may be smaller or the demolition may be postponed, Doležalová warned.
    The winner of the demolition tender should be known at the beginning of next year, and work could begin in March. The longest barracks building along the well-known linden alley will mainly be demolished. There are also plans to clear out an underground bunker at the end of the complex. The first phase of the demolition was completed last year with the help of a grant. Instead of the budgeted 26 million crowns, the company carried out the demolition for 6.1 million crowns.
    After the demolition, only two buildings closest to the city center are expected to remain on the entire site. "We are still discussing their use. It still holds that one of them is preliminarily reserved for the district court, which is interested in renovating the building and moving here in the coming years," said Deputy Mayor Petr Hamáček. The court is currently using another building at the opposite end of the barracks complex as storage. The town wants to relocate those and demolish the building as well.
    For new development in the area, the town will have to prepare a land use study that will determine the regulations and infrastructure for the area. The town does not rule out the possibility of announcing an architectural competition. "To preserve the urban concept of the locality, the land will likely be used more for the construction of row and detached family houses than for the construction of apartment buildings," noted the town's architect Radek Jiránek.
    Originally, private investors were supposed to renovate the barracks area. However, neither of the two attempts to hand over the barracks to private individuals was successful, and last year the town ultimately decided to continue the revitalization of the barracks on its own.