The Ústí representatives decided by secret ballot on the purchase of the so-called hole

Ústí nad Labem - The city councilors of Ústí nad Labem decided at today's meeting through a secret ballot to purchase a long-abandoned construction site in the city center, so-called hole, for 73 million crowns. Mayor Petr Nedvědický (ANO) justified the secret vote by stating that one of the citizens alerted the councilors to legal liability in case of decision acceptance. A total of 20 ballots were issued, with 19 councilors in favor and one abstaining. The other councilors did not even pick up their ballots, thus only the coalition composed of ANO and SPD voted. 37 councilors attended the meeting. Opposition councilor Karolína Žákovská (PRO! Ústí) told ČTK and Czech Radio that the movement would consider whether to contact the police.

Žákovská mentioned three problematic points regarding the purchase. The first is the price itself. "It is double the usual price set by the expert opinion, which was estimated at around 36.9 million crowns, as per the law on property valuation," said the councilor. The second problem, according to her, is the fact that the city council did not have the project documentation available, which the city will purchase along with the 'hole'. The management wants to proceed with construction based on the original project documentation after the purchase. "We don't know if a 13-year-old project can be built," Žákovská pointed out. The councilor also sees a problem in that the construction site is accompanied by a number of legal uncertainties. "What currently stands there was created without a building permit as a safety for the construction pit and is currently being presented as a structure under a building permit that was actually issued about seven years later," Žákovská added. She also reminded that the owner borrowed 40 million crowns and the company secured the land. Therefore, she suggested that the councilors take note of the company's offer and that the construction be properly assessed. The coalition did not vote for her proposal. She expressed regret over the way the vote was conducted. "We will wait to see if the city really buys the land, and we will consider filing a criminal complaint," she added.

The decision of the council is welcomed by Mayor Petr Nedvědický (ANO), who believes that the purchase of the construction site will be beneficial for the city. He added that the owner initially demanded around 100 million crowns. The city once sold the construction site to a private company UDES for 44 million crowns; according to the mayor, the company invested another 35 million crowns in construction. "Logically, this hole has that value," Nedvědický stated, adding that the building permit is valid. The city will now prepare purchase agreements with lawyers. The documentation will also include the resolution of the lien, Nedvědický mentioned. "I expect that within a month there will be a purchase agreement, which will then be signed," the mayor said. According to him, the self-government could utilize a so-called PPP project, i.e., a partnership of public and private funds.

The so-called hole has marred the city center for about 14 years. On the fenced site, there is an unfinished parking structure that has two underground levels. According to ČTK's findings, one of them is flooded. Originally, there was a park on the land.