The shape of the residential development after the Jičín barracks will be determined by an architect competition

Jičín - The form of new development in the eight-hectare area of the former barracks in Jičín will be determined by a two-round architectural competition. A new residential district should begin to emerge in this attractive location near the city center in a few years. The city hall announced the competition today, with the deadline for the first round set for mid-June. At the same time, the city plans to demolish the last large barrack building in the area this year. Deputy Mayor Petr Hamáček (Association for Jičín) told ČTK.
    Architects should propose the placement of buildings, transport and technical infrastructure in their studies, and establish conditions for the development including proposals for regulation. The proposal should comply with the zoning plan and the already approved housing development in the neighboring first-republic villa district of Čeřovka. The study should also account for future investments by the city in infrastructure, limited to a maximum of 30 million crowns.
    After the construction of the networks, the city intends to offer the area to private investors. Hamáček estimated that this could happen as early as 2016.
    In the second round of the competition, architects will refine the selected proposals based on the feedback from the evaluation committee and create a concrete proposal for the appearance of the area. The deadline for the second round is currently set for October 2013. The public will also have the opportunity to express their opinions on the appearance of the future locality.
    However, the results of the competition may not be binding for the city, the city hall warned. "The winning study may ultimately not be realized exactly as proposed. However, we expect it to show us specific possibilities for construction, based on which we will then make our decisions," stated Hamáček.
    Last year, the city had most of the barracks buildings demolished at a cost of 6.1 million crowns. This year, the longest building along the famous lime tree alley and the rear section of a smaller side building will also be demolished. The demolition is expected to cost around 2.5 million crowns. The two outer buildings towards the center will remain, and the city will look for ways to utilize them.
    In the future, the building in the rear part of the area, which currently belongs to the district court and is used as a storage space, is also set to be demolished. The city has now begun negotiations with the court and the cadastral office about exchanging properties to vacate the court building in the barracks.
    Originally, private investors were supposed to rebuild the barracks area. However, none of the two attempts to hand over the barracks to private individuals materialized, and the city ultimately decided in 2011 to continue the revitalization of the barracks on its own.