Chrudim will not buy the Bohemia hotel, it will try to build a parking lot there itself

Chrudim – Chrudim will withdraw from the lease agreement for the construction of a parking lot near the Hotel Bohemia, which it concluded with the company Homa holding in 2012. According to the town hall, the company is not fulfilling its commitments, and underground parking has still not been created. At the same time, the city will explore options for building a parking garage on its own, as approved by the city council today. However, the proposal for the town hall to negotiate with the company about selling the hotel with unfinished reconstruction to the city, or to other entities through it, was rejected.

The company Homa holding began the reconstruction of Hotel Bohemia at the beginning of 2013. However, the company later lost its European subsidy due to an investigation into suspected subsidy fraud, and the work stopped. Conditional sentences have already been handed down in the court case, including a financial penalty of 35 million crowns for the company Metrostav, which also received a three-year ban on fulfilling public contracts and participating in public tenders. The court also imposed a three-year ban on the subsidiary Metrostav Infrastructure. The company Homa holding, including the hotel, was subsequently purchased by Bazcom, but did not continue with the reconstruction.

The company Bazcom has been arguing with the city for years over not having to build an underground parking lot that would serve hotel guests and the public. It has the plot of land for construction leased but has proposed only the construction of cheaper surface parking. The city also offered a variant where it would participate in or take over the investment, but an agreement could not be reached.

The councilors agreed on the termination of the lease agreement and the possibility of building a parking lot on their own. However, some opposition representatives rejected the purchase of the hotel and insisted on a separate vote on this issue, which resulted in the rejection of any further negotiations with the company.

The town hall's leadership proposed that the city would only buy the hotel if another entity operated it. "It is no secret that we insist on building an underground parking lot. We are willing to support the purchase of the hotel under several conditions. It must be economically viable, we expect a subsidy for the use of the brownfield, and especially at the moment of a potential purchase, the operator of the hotel must be contractually secured. So that in some enthusiasm the city does not buy the hotel and only afterwards solve what we are going to do with it. We would oppose such a purchase," said councilor Aleš Nunvář (Pirates). The city had previously estimated that the costs for completing the hotel reconstruction could reach up to 80 million crowns. According to Nunvář, it would be possible to take out a bank loan for these purposes.

According to opposition councilor Jan Čechlovský (ODS), court disputes with the tenant can be expected due to the withdrawal from the lease agreement. Mayor František Pilný (ANO) agreed with this.