Ústí councilors will discuss the acquisition of land near Lake Milada

Ústí nad Labem - Ústí nad Labem city councilors will meet on Monday to discuss the takeover of land near Lake Milada. The council formally confirmed that it is interested in the parcels. After a possible positive opinion from the council, the process of acquiring the land, including the water area, will begin. This will take several months. Also on the agenda is the write-off of coal reserves. Deputy Mayor Tomáš Vlach (ANO) informed reporters about this today. The procedure for the transfer of the land has already been approved by the government in resignation. The voluntary association of municipalities, which also includes Chabařovice, Trmice, and Řehlovice, is to receive the land from the state free of charge.

Lake Milada was created by flooding the former Chabařovice quarry, and the state enterprise Diamo currently manages the land. The transfer of property is intended to facilitate the revitalization of the area and its use for recreation. The material concept approved by the government specifies which lands and property will be transferred, and proposes the write-off of part of the coal reserves. The final request for approval of the actual free transfer is to be submitted to the government by December 31, 2026.

"The council formally confirmed that it is interested in the takeover of the land and will recommend it to the council in this way. I think it is logical, and if the state hands over the land to us, it will be to the benefit of all users and citizens," said Vlach. He pointed out that it is still necessary to write off the coal reserves. "This is an unresolved issue on the part of the state. I believe that it will be clarified because subsequent investment in the area depends on it," he added. According to him, the city wants to invest in the area in accordance with the conceptual study by architects from the Swedish studio Mandaworks.

A zoo could be created around Lake Milada. The plan was presented by the Ústí nad Labem zoo in May this year. The project called Wild Milada is estimated by the zoo to cost hundreds of millions of crowns. "Currently, preparations for the necessary documents are underway to apply for grants. Consideration is also being given to phasing the project so that the first changes in the area appear within five years," the deputy mayor stated regarding the current status of the project.

The takeover is also associated with operating expenses. The mayor of Trmice, Jana Oubrechtová, told ČTK today that the estimate counts on about three million crowns per year. The city has no problem with the takeover, the mayor stated. She noted, however, that in the case of Trmice, it concerns about one percent of the total area. "It is mainly in Chabařovice and Ústí nad Labem," added Oubrechtová.

Chabařovice councilors also confirmed their interest in the land today, provided that the association acquires it free of charge. Alena Vaněčková (ANO), the mayor of Chabařovice, told ČTK. Chabařovice is to receive about two-thirds of the total area. They have about 2,500 inhabitants. All municipalities represented in the association are to participate in the investments and operating expenses. Financing will be addressed only after the actual transfer of the land.