The parking garage next to the Liberec Region headquarters will become more expensive due to rising prices

Liberec – The planned construction of a parking house next to the seat of the Liberec Region will significantly increase in cost due to rising prices of construction work and materials. According to June estimates, it could rise by almost a quarter from the originally estimated 205 million crowns to 254 million. Thus, the co-financing contribution from the Liberec Region will need to be increased, and the region will also seek more from European funds. Therefore, the regional assembly will meet exceptionally on August 17, Liberec governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region) told reporters today.

The parking house is intended to solve the shortage of parking spaces around the regional office. According to the project, it will provide space for 244 cars, of which 144 spaces are designated for the regional office and one hundred for the public. The building, which is to connect to last year's completed business incubator, will have a partially green roof. The region is applying for a grant from the Operational Program Environment for this, and it aims to secure more funds from the Integrated Urban Development Plan of Liberec – Jablonec nad Nisou.

"The price development is quite dramatic; with this price increase, we will exceed the co-financing commitment that we have approved in the assembly, so we must approve a new one," said Půta. The region initially planned co-financing of up to 136 million crowns, which has now increased to 164 million. However, according to deputy Zbyněk Miklík (Pirates), the region also wants to request more grants, increasing from 69 million to 90 million crowns. To submit the request, the material must go through the regional assembly again.

The parking house is not the only regional construction project complicated by rising construction work and material prices. For example, the region must again seek a contractor for the construction of a house for the disabled in Nová Ves near Chrastava, where the selected contractor did not start work and withdrew from the contract. According to transport deputy Jan Sviták (Mayors for the Liberec Region), the regional leadership is currently negotiating with contractors for four road projects, who are requesting additional funds citing rising prices. "For now, we are refusing," Sviták said.

The construction of the parking house is the next stage of the reclamation of the area around the regional office. The adjacent buildings and land were bought in 2014 by the Liberec Region from VÚTS (formerly the Research Institute of Textile Machines). The region paid 125 million crowns for the area covering more than 11,000 m². The former administrative building was reconstructed into the European House for nearly 97 million crowns, and last year builders completed the reconstruction of the former workshop building for about 390 million crowns. A business incubator was created there, and currently, there is also a large-capacity center for vaccination against the coronavirus.

In the coming years, the neglected surroundings of the buildings, which today mainly serve as parking lots, will also receive a new look, as they are now insufficient for needs. This should be resolved by the parking house. After its completion, the current parking lot and the embankment of the Lužická Nisa should also undergo reclamation. The region, together with the city, wants to transform the embankment into a recreational area with access to the river.