The Přerov city council proposes the demolition of the abandoned Strojař hotel

Přerov - The abandoned nine-story hotel Strojař located near the center of Přerov is set to be demolished. The demolition is proposed by the leadership of the Přerov city hall, which can acquire the building free of charge from the Ministry of Defence. According to the councilors, the renovation of the hostel for the purposes of a senior home or as the seat of the municipality would be too expensive. It would cost approximately 100 million crowns, while the demolition would amount to 12 million. The councilors will present their proposal on April 13 to the representatives, and if supported, will submit it to the Ministry representatives a day later. However, its representatives stated today to ČTK that the demolition does not meet the requirements for a gratuitous transfer. One requirement is non-commercial use of the building for ten years.
“We considered several options for the use of Strojař. We even invited architecture students to Přerov, who presented their visions on how to renovate the panel hostel from the 70s. They proposed a retirement home, social apartments, and a municipal office. However, the costs of the reconstruction would be high, and in our current conditions, hundreds of millions of expenditures are unrealistic,” said Přerov Mayor Vladimír Puchalský (Together for Přerov).
The city requested Strojař due to concerns about the emergence of another social hostel. “For these purposes, a building with 144 rooms and 369 beds would indeed be suitable. Given that this is an extensive object in the city center, Strojař is important to us, and our goal is to get it into our ownership. We already have more than enough hostels,” said Deputy Mayor Pavel Košutek (ANO). According to the city leadership, a green relaxation zone and a public parking lot could initially be created on the site of Strojař, and in the future, perhaps a multifunctional residential building.
The demolition of Strojař must be approved by the Ministry of Defence, which owns it. According to the spokesperson for the ministry, the conditions for a gratuitous transfer are not met for the demolition of the object. “Last year, the Ministry of Defence offered the building to the city of Přerov for direct purchase for the amount of 42 million crowns. This price is based on the last round of the tender. If the building were to be transferred to the city for free, the requirement for non-commercial use of the property for ten years would have to be met, and the city would also need to present a developed project and financing for such a project. Non-commercial use of the building definitely does not mean its demolition,” said the ministry spokesperson Petr Medek to ČTK today.
The Strojař hostel was vacated by soldiers at the end of 2013. The Ministry initially offered the property for sale for 62 million crowns, and the amount gradually decreased to 46.5 million crowns. The new city leadership managed to negotiate a gratuitous transfer at the end of last year, but a condition is to find a publicly beneficial use for Strojař. Representatives of Přerov also obtained preliminary consent for such a transaction from the Ministry of Finance.