Pardubice did not adopt the resolution to purchase the Automatic Mills

Pardubice - The future owner of the historically protected Automatic Mills designed by Josef Gočár in Pardubice is still undecided. Today, the Pardubice councilors did not adopt any resolution regarding the purchase of the mills, which are being sold by the GoodMills company. The company ceased production last spring, and the area covering nearly 11,000 m² was originally offered for 40 million crowns, now for 25 million crowns.
    According to a study that involved public input, a cultural and educational center, the so-called Kulturfabrik, was to be created in the mills. Councilor Jan Němec (TOP 09) was against the purchase because he considered the estimated renovation cost of 250 million crowns to be underestimated, claiming it would be around half a billion. Moreover, he was concerned about high operating costs. He suggested waiting to purchase, continuing negotiations with the owner, and finding economically viable use since demolition or insensitive renovation is not a risk for the protected site. Martin Bílek (Association for Pardubice) also suggested waiting, as he missed a feasibility study including operating cost estimates.
    On the other hand, Milan Košař (Pardubáci) pointed to the example of Ústí nad Orlicí, where the city hall purchased a large area of the former textile factory Perla in the city center. According to him, the heritage protection would not prevent inappropriate use. Miroslav Petráň (Association for Pardubice) was also in favor of the purchase. "But it won't work without a developer. We need to let someone with commercial potential into the project, perhaps for housing; otherwise, the area will not be sustainable," said Petráň. According to the deputy mayor František Brendl (Pardubáci), it would be possible to obtain European funding for the transformation of the mills.
    Jiří Lejhanec (ODS) proposed reducing the purchase price to ten million crowns. However, the councilors rejected his proposal and did not approve either the resolution with the price of 25 million crowns or the resolution that the decision on the purchase of the mills should be made only after the municipal elections.
    The mills were built between 1910 and 1925 for the Winternitz brothers and are characterized by the alternating light and dark brick masonry typical of Anglo-Saxon architecture. The buildings designed by Karel Řepa are from a later date. They were declared a national cultural monument this year. Further extensions are from the second half of the 20th century and are not subject to heritage protection.