<Pardubice> will address the change of the land use plan due to the construction of a sports hall

Pardubice - The representatives of Pardubice will discuss a proposal to change the zoning plan on Monday. This is sought by an investor who wants to build a hall for 15,000 spectators at Cihelna, along with plans for apartments or a large hotel. Current conditions only allow him to construct a sports hall. City representatives told ČTK this. The coalition is skeptical about the proposal, while part of the opposition agrees.

The plans are backed by entrepreneur Petr Dědek, who owns a majority stake in the Pardubice ice hockey club through his company. He initially wanted to build a large hall at the horse racing track but later decided on the Cihelna site, which is close to the planned bypass. There are also plans for other buildings around the hall, including a hotel, apartments, hostels, or an academy for hockey players. Dědek did not want to provide details. "I will not comment on it now, we will see after the council meeting," he told ČTK.

The city is preparing a new zoning plan. In 2017, it approved that it would no longer make changes to the old document, except in cases of public interest. Politicians are now debating whether Dědek's plan is a beneficial investment for the public.

Deputy Mayor René Živný (Together for Pardubice) mainly does not want to delay the preparation and adoption of the new plan. "For me, it is essential that the change of the zoning plan due to the arena, hotels, and other buildings of Mr. Dědek does not delay the adoption of the new zoning plan of the city," stated Živný.

Mayor Jan Nadrchal (ANO) pointed out that he perceives a moral aspect in the whole issue towards everyone who has had their change of zoning plan rejected by the city since 2017, as it prepares a new one. "Each council member must express for themselves whether it is a public benefit construction and justify that some must wait and some do not," said Nadrchal. According to him, the coalition alone cannot decide on Dědek's intent; it should have the majority support of the council.

Current conditions allow the entrepreneur to build sports infrastructure, but also a hotel, albeit with a maximum capacity of 53 beds; however, Dědek wants a larger accommodation facility. He will probably have to address height limits as well. After the new zoning plan is approved, the entrepreneur would also need to request a change.

Coalition representatives support the construction of the sports hall, but they believe that circumstances are not in favor of it. "At this moment, no one has seen a more detailed study, which can be a problem. The question is what is in the public interest and what is a hard business plan. There are so many questions. The risk that the zoning plan, which hundreds of people are waiting for, would be delayed again is political suicide," said Deputy Mayor Jakub Rychtecký (We Live Pardubice/ČSSD).

The location is on road I/36, which used to be a connection to Hradec Králové, situated on the right side of Pardubice. The opposition ODS wants to support the change in the zoning plan on Monday, but does not want the approval of the new document to be delayed. "The investment will bring finances to the city, just the property tax will be significant, it has many benefits for the city, parking when entering the city, and so on," stated council member Petr Klimpl (ODS).