Border Rozvadov is preparing locations for housing, interest is high

Rozvadov (Tachov Region) - Rozvadov, the last village on the Czech-German border, has recorded 34 applications for housing. This village with 560 residents, which had previously been depopulating, has started intensively preparing several areas for residential construction. "We want people to build as much as possible here," said Jindřich Červený, the mayor of Rozvadov, to ČTK.
    "Last year, we equipped 11 plots near the restaurant with utilities for 7.8 million crowns, each covering an area of about 1,000 square meters. All of them are sold; four family houses are already built," he added. In Rozvadov, this represents the largest cohesive area for housing since 1989. The village's development had long been hampered by more than a decade of waiting for the transfer of state-owned land from the Land Fund, which had long been designated for residential purposes in regional planning.
    This year, the village will begin preparing 20 plots for houses in the southeastern part, where three buildings each with 21 apartments will also be constructed. "We built a similar house for low-income citizens three years ago," Červený stated. The new area is already being designed, and its utility connections will cost 11 million crowns. "It’s hard to find subsidies for utilities. Even the Ministry of Agriculture is unable to help; the area would need to have 300 residents," Červený said. The first 11 plots were supported only by the region with 260,000 crowns from the rural stabilization program. This year, the village will prepare the first eight plots. A decision on whether to proceed with the construction of apartment buildings independently or to contact a developer will be made later.
    According to the municipal records, 563 people live in Rozvadov, but according to the statistical office, there are 780. The difference may be due to the inclusion of Vietnamese citizens, the mayor noted.
    The largest investment project in Rozvadov so far has been the construction of a sewage system, water supply, sidewalks, and the introduction of gas, for which the municipality has spent a total of 48 million crowns over 15 years. "In the last part of the village, we still need 260 meters of road from the post office towards Svatá Kateřina for 2.7 million crowns," Červený said. Thanks to a 92 percent subsidy from the European ROP program, it will be completed in the spring.
    Rozvadov's annual budget, excluding subsidies, ranges from 19 to 21 million crowns. Of that, five million crowns can be allocated for investments and repairs. About one-fifth of the village's income comes from the last two casinos.