Liberec Region wants to revive abandoned factories with the help of the EU

Liberec - The Liberec Region wants to obtain funds from European sources for the revitalization of some unused and dilapidated sites - mainly abandoned factories, agricultural buildings, but also some monuments. The Development Department has identified ten locations - three each in Liberec and Česká Lípa, and two in Jablonec and Semily, for which detailed revitalization and utilization projects will be prepared. European funds could then be drawn for these projects, according to today's Liberec supplements of Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD) and Právo.
    The list includes, among others, the castle in Horní Police, the former research institute in Břehyně near Doksy, the Unitex site in Jindřichovice pod Smrkem, Textilana in Nové Město pod Smrkem, and the former piano manufacturing factory in Liberec-Kateřinky. The former glassworks in Svor in Česká Lípa, the unused porcelain factory site in Desná, and the Seby T plant in Velké Hamry in Jablonec, the Hybler textile factory in Přepeře, or the former Tofa wooden toy factory in Semily could also find new uses.
    However, there are 364 similar sites in the Liberec Region, according to a brownfield study recently completed by the Liberec Region in cooperation with the CzechInvest agency for business and investment support. According to the regional councilor for development, Vít Příkaský, life should return to these locations in the future. "A brownfield is a plot of land or object located in currently or previously built-up areas, which is not effectively used and is neglected or possibly contaminated. The property cannot be effectively utilized without undergoing a regeneration process," Příkaský told Právo.
    The main benefit of the search study for the Liberec Region, according to Příkaský, is gaining an overview of unused locations in the region and finding suitable ways for further utilization. The purpose of revitalization is optimal use of the given locations, support for new investments in business, housing, leisure activities, and, not least, improvement of the environment. The study's results can be used not only by the region but also by cities and municipalities.
    This is not the first similar activity in the Liberec Region - two years ago, experts from the Technical University of Liberec, in cooperation with the Liberec Regional Development Agency, prepared a catalog of 60 unused industrial sites in the region. However, the experts found around 300, mostly in the Frýdlant area. The project was supported at that time by the Ministry for Local Development. There are also examples in the region where old buildings have been successfully reused. Among the most famous is the Babylon entertainment center in Liberec, which was created from the former Hedva textile factory, or the Business Academy and Hotel School, which was established in Turnov by converting barracks.