The Krnov town hall wants to buy the Prior department store for 41 million

Krnov - The Krnov Town Hall in the Bruntál region wants to purchase the Prior department store for 41 million. It could potentially feature a community hall, apartments, or administrative spaces. The current owner, the Prior department stores company, does not have tenants for the vacant spaces. This was stated to ČTK by the city spokeswoman Dita Círová. The plan still needs to be approved by the city council, but part of it is against such an investment.

The city owns a quarter of the building, while the remaining part belongs to the Prior department stores company. The town hall owns, for example, 70 apartments in the building. Therefore, the councilors are considering purchasing the remaining stake that the owner has offered them preferentially.

"It will not be easy, but we should still take advantage of the offered opportunity and have this strategic object under control. If the city goes down the path of restoration, it will not be a dead investment," believes Deputy Mayor Michal Brunclík (ČSSD).

However, some council and assembly members do not like the plan. "Employees of the Prior company are professionals, and currently, they cannot find tenants for the retail spaces. Therefore, I am not sure if the city is the right investor," said councilor Libor Nowak (ODS) during the meeting.

The building from 1983 will require extensive investments according to city representatives. The object is very outdated and should not remain in its current form.

"It will be necessary to explore various possibilities for the use of both commercial and non-commercial spaces that could serve various purposes, such as administration, culture, and housing," added Deputy Mayor Jan Krkoška (ANO). According to him, the city has long lacked a hall for city council meetings, which would be within better walking distance for locals than the fire station in Kostelec. A library or a municipal police station could also be situated here.

The Prior complex with residential units was built between 1980 and 1983 based on the winning competitive design at the architectural competition for the solution of Krnov's city center, which took place in 1967. It covers an area of 5,532 square meters and consists of a courtyard and a building that comprises both commercial and residential parts.