Kolín will start creating a new land use plan next year, aiming to accommodate an increase of 10,000 people

Kolín - Kolín will begin preparing a new urban plan next year; the current one, from 2002, has undergone five changes and is outdated in some areas. It should prepare the city for a gradual increase in the population by 10,000 in the coming years. Approximately 33,000 people currently live in Kolín. Mayor Michael Kašpar (Change for Kolín) estimates the planning process will take about five years. The information about the preparation of the new plan was acknowledged by the city councilors today.

"In recent years, the city of Kolín has experienced increased to exponential interest from investors and developers in the construction of residential buildings, in particular. Kolín's location and especially its excellent transport connections to the metropolis, the availability of development areas for construction, the lack of housing opportunities, and the high purchase prices of apartments in Prague currently create good conditions for investment intentions. However, Kolín is already facing some limitations, such as the lack of places in kindergartens and primary schools, traffic within the city, and some social services," the city stated in its information to the councilors. The plan should serve for at least the next 20 years after its adoption.

According to city architect David Mateásko, the current urban plan contains a number of unverified development areas. "We do not know their capacity; we do not have defined public infrastructure areas for them," Mateásko said during today's presentation. He reminded that approximately 10,000 people have been added to Kolín over the past 50 years. In the last five to six years, about 450 to 500 people have been added annually.

The city has already started collecting data from various areas and is hosting round tables on topics such as education, transportation, and social services. It has also commissioned a demographic study and is continuously creating urban studies for some city locations. It plans to submit the requirements for the new urban plan around the middle of next year.