Brownfields in the Pardubice Region are gradually finding their use

Pardubice - Most of the ten empty industrial, agricultural, or military sites in the Pardubice Region, so-called brownfields, which the region included in a list of significant locations it wanted to offer to investors a year and a quarter ago, already have their uses. The unused and often dilapidated properties have mostly been taken over by private companies. The region's activity and the government agency CzechInvest, which supports investments, played only a small role in this, as a ČTK survey found.
    Among the ten identified brownfields were a barracks facility in Opatovice nad Labem and land in Semtín near Pardubice, the former sugar factory in Hrochův Týn on Chrudim, an unused ammunition depot in Chrast, and the former brewery in Chrudim, as well as an animal production center in Koclířov and a chateau with an economic building in Vranová Lhota. In the Ústí nad Orlicí area, the region included the site of the former Dřevotex company in Lichkov, an old brewery in Vysoké Mýto, and the Orlická barracks in Žamberk.
    The region presented the properties at, for example, the 1st International Professional Conference Brownfields invest Czech - BFIC 2006 and at trade fairs Expo Real in Munich or Urbis in Brno; it also collaborated with the Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Development Agency, and the cities and municipalities where the areas are located on their utilization. The areas also appeared on the region's website, and the regional leadership offered them during negotiations with entrepreneurs from the Czech Republic and abroad.
    The Opatovice barracks will be converted by the municipality, which owns them, with the help of a private company into a residential building with commercial spaces on the ground floor. "We searched for a partner in our own way; the building was dilapidated, and time was against us," said Opatovice Mayor Pavel Kohout to ČTK. The land in Semtín is gradually being sold off by its owner, the company Synthesia, to interested buyers. Most buyers were found through advertisements or originate from its previous business partners.
    The brewery in Chrudim was bought by a private owner even before the county list was compiled, who built a dance club in the cellars and is preparing the reconstruction of the above-ground parts of the building into a hotel. Similarly, the Orlická barracks in Žamberk were sold some time ago. "We slightly got ahead of events. Today, there are many companies in the area, such as a building materials store, wood materials and fasteners supplier, food production, stainless steel container offices, or accommodation capacities," said Žamberk Mayor Tomáš Kalous to ČTK. The ammunition depot in Chrast has been turned into a private distribution center for military equipment, and three private companies have rented the Dřevotex buildings.
    Some properties are still awaiting utilization. The owner of the chateau in Vranová Lhota is reconstructing it slowly and with difficulty, while the planned conversion of the brewery in Vysoké Mýto for residential purposes is currently blocked by a proposal to declare it a cultural monument. The farm in Koclířov still belongs to the municipality, which is waiting to see if it will acquire part of the related land from the state. "If we succeed, we have long arranged for the sale of the site into private hands for a food storage facility," said Koclířov Mayor Bohumil Kysílko to ČTK.
    The fate of one of the brownfields was meanwhile solved with funds from the European treasury. Eastern Sugar closed the sugar factory in Hrochův Týn and returned its sugar production quota to the European Union. In return, it will receive money to level the factory site. In time, agricultural crops will once again grow in the area of the vast industrial complex.
    In the region, there are many other unused industrial, agricultural, or military buildings and plots. It is estimated that there are around 200. So far, however, new industrial zones have been created for investors, where constructing a plant is easier than renovating an old building. Several companies have built new halls in zones in Pardubice, Moravská Třebová, Polička, or Chrudim. Unused spaces have been occupied, among others, by the computer company Foxconn in the former Pardubice Tesla.