Previously luxurious street Na Nivách in Ústí is disappearing under the buckets of excavators

Ústí nad Labem - The formerly luxurious Na Nivách street in Ústí nad Labem is disappearing. Excavators began demolishing residential buildings that have been deteriorating for years. What will replace the destroyed structures is still unclear; they could be residential buildings again. The costs of the demolition are being covered by the city itself.

The demolition of eighteen structures will cost the city 6.6 million crowns. Romana Macová, spokeswoman for the city hall, told ČTK. The contractor for the work was selected by the city council shortly before the elections, with the company Klement chosen. The original cost estimate was 16.5 million crowns.

The work does not restrict traffic, as the street has been closed for safety reasons for an extended period. "There will only be an increased intensity of trucks transporting debris to landfills in the region," said Jaroslav Balšánek, commercial director of Klement. Today, the demolition of six houses on the right side began, which will last for four months. "The weather should not limit us and nothing should surprise us. The structure is brick; the demolition excavator with a long arm will gradually dismantle the house and the debris will be sprinkled, loaded, and transported to landfills," Balšánek indicated.

There is practically nothing left of the houses except the exterior walls. Local vandals have dismantled and taken away everything of value for scrap. "There is no asbestos here, so we do not need to transport debris to special landfills," Balšánek added.

The start of the next phase, which includes 12 structures on the left side of the street, is expected in September 2019. "The contractor will ensure the complete disposal and storage of all waste from the demolitions as part of the project's implementation," Macová stated.

Ústí purchased two blocks of destroyed houses last year from the heirs of entrepreneur Jan David Horský. The former owner had planned years ago to renovate the houses in one of the once-best addresses in Ústí. That did not happen, and two rows of apartment buildings have definitively fallen into disrepair. According to assessments, they are in a state of emergency. The city paid 400,000 crowns for the properties. Last spring, the city hall announced that the preliminary estimate for demolition costs is 100 million crowns.

The state provides subsidies for the demolition of buildings in excluded areas, covering up to 75 percent of the costs. The city's leadership was troubled by the various conditions tied to the subsidy, such as the stipulation that nothing may be built on the sites of the demolished houses for the next decade, and they may serve as a park, for example.

The city’s leadership has not disclosed a specific plan for the area after the demolished houses, and no decision has yet been made regarding the further use of the land. According to the city council, there could be small apartments for young families.