Towns can apply for money for the regeneration of unused sites

Prague - The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) has prepared the first call in the program for the regeneration and business utilization of so-called brownfields, i.e., old unused industrial areas. A total of 100 million CZK will be distributed among municipalities and regions within the first call. The total funding in the program amounts to two billion crowns. MPO stated this in a press release today.

The program will focus on addressing the issues of brownfields in structurally affected regions - Moravian-Silesian, Ústí nad Labem, and Karlovy Vary - and economically problematic regions. The aim is to find solutions for these often hazardous areas and to economically uplift the regions through their new business utilization.

Applicants for grants can be municipalities and regions. When evaluating applications for inclusion in the program, emphasis will be placed on the efficiency of the submitted projects, said the MPO.

There are over 11,000 brownfields in the Czech Republic, covering an area of more than 38,000 hectares, which is three times the size of, for example, the area of Plzeň. Next year, the program is expected to allocate 300 million crowns. Almost half of all brownfields in the Czech Republic consist of former industrial sites, according to CzechInvest. This is followed by areas previously used for agriculture or community facilities. The smallest representation in the database is held by sites originally serving tourism, raw material extraction, or transportation.