Nýrsko cleans the former barracks, where it intends to build approximately a hundred apartments

Nýrsko (Klatovsko) - Exactly one year after taking over the abandoned barracks in Nýrsko, the eight-hectare area on the hill above the town is mostly cleared. Ten million crowns have already been spent on the demolition of buildings, of which 85 percent was provided by the Ministry of Regional Development. The town hall is now requesting seven million CZK for remaining improvements. The intention remains to build 100 apartments starting from early 2011. There is high demand for housing, construction is ongoing, said today to ČTK the mayor of the five-thousand-strong town, Miloslav Rubáš.
    "We have demolished 70 percent of the buildings, only the last two buildings of the former platoon, a two to three-kilometer long concrete fence, hardened surfaces, and old connections in the ground remain," he added. The town aims to remove all of this by autumn. In the first quarter, it will therefore also request additional funds from the same ministerial subsidy title.
    After clearing the area, roughly from autumn onward, the town hall will start planning the apartments and roads, and aims to have a zoning decision by the end of 2010. "Only then will we decide whether the apartments will be built by a private developer or the city,” Rubáš explained. According to him, it would be most advantageous if part of the investment were municipal and part private. It will depend on the finances and interest of developers, Rubáš said. Apartments will certainly not be built all at once, but in phases.
    "This is a promising project in a decent location in a city that is developing positively with all the infrastructure," said Jan Naxera from the Regional Development Agency of the Plzeň Region, which proposed utilizing the area that has gas, electricity, water, and is connected to the sewage treatment plant.
    Apartments are constantly being built in the city. "At the end of the year, we prepared seven plots for houses, which sold immediately," Rubáš mentioned. The local Forest Construction is building a house with 17 apartments, for which the city provided the land for free. It aims to attract people to companies in Nýrsko, the mayor added. The town hall is also preparing 21 plots between the boiler room and Globus, which will start being offered from March 2010. It has long recorded nearly 150 applications for flats.
    Nýrsko purchased the barracks from the state after seven years of effort a year ago for 25 million crowns. It borrowed the money and will repay it over eight years. The delayed transfer hindered the city's development. The Ministry of the Interior struggled for a long time to sell the barracks, initially for 82 million CZK, but was unsuccessful.