The stadium and shopping center in Hradec have land use permits

Hradec Králové - Nearly five years in the making, the massive project for a shopping center and a new football stadium in Hradec Králové has obtained a zoning decision. For now, it is not final, and opponents of the project can appeal the zoning decision to the regional office. This was reported by today's Mladá fronta Dnes in the supplement for the Hradec Králové region. The project's value is estimated at around three billion crowns.
     The zoning decision is being requested jointly by the city hall and the development company ECE. They plan to buy land from the city for their shopping center Arkády. The city will then build a new stadium. Everything is set to rise on the site and in the surroundings of the current Malšovice stadium known as "Pod lízátky."
     Opponents of the construction have submitted over 220 objections against the project, but the building authority has rejected them. Most objections highlighted concerns about worsening traffic conditions and air quality in the area. If the subsequent proceedings go smoothly, it is not unlikely that construction on the new stadium could begin later this year. The city and ECE will be applying for a building permit for the stadium and the shopping center separately.
     According to information from ČTK, the project has already experienced several years of delay from its original plans. When presenting the project in 2008, ECE promised that the football arena would be operational in 2011 and the entire complex a year later.
     Another large shopping center worth nearly two billion crowns is set to be built in Hradec Králové in the Koruna area near the train station. The Aupark project, backed by the development company HB Reavis, received a zoning decision last year. The company plans to start construction this fall. HB Reavis has also been preparing the project for several years.