Pardubice is planning a new district for 10,000 residents, the study is almost finished

Pardubice - In the Hůrka area in Pardubice, a new residential district is planned to be created, where up to 10,000 people will live. The city hall is completing a territorial study that will determine what can be built there. Both the city and developers are expected to build there. Jakub Rychtecký (Žijeme Pardubice/SOCDEM), the deputy mayor, told ČTK.

"The potential of the Hůrka location is up to 10,000 people. Based on the study, we can take further steps to prepare the area for residential construction," he said.

Once the study is finished, the city will present it to the councilors and the public. According to the deputy, various types of housing should ideally be created there. "There should be affordable rental and cooperative housing. There is space for more comfortable housing," the deputy said.

The investor can be either the city or private capital. The territorial study suggests a new district that will encompass everything necessary. There should be a parking garage, sufficient additional parking spaces, or sports facilities. "We are still fine-tuning how to place civic infrastructure such as a kindergarten or possibly an elementary school. Because 10,000 inhabitants represent a new urban district," the deputy stated.

The discussion about what to do with the area and its surroundings, which spans about 17 hectares, has been going on in the city for a long time. Pardubice acquired the barracks from the army in 1999. In the past, part of the area was purchased by entrepreneurs. Even before the economic crisis, the company Eube wanted to build a new housing estate in Hůrka, but it abandoned the plan in the previous decade.

"This has been talked about for almost 15 years and nothing has been done yet. It concerns not only the former barracks area but also a large area between the future northeastern bypass and the Hůrka area," said Vítězslav Štěpánek (ODS), the mayor of district III, to ČTK.

The Civic Democrats proposed selling part of the land to developers at the end of the last election term. "I expect that apartment construction will drive rental prices down. If there are not enough apartments, they will be expensive and prices will not decrease," said the mayor.

The district commented on the proposed study, requesting that it include pedestrian crossings over the main road I/36. According to him, an avenue should be planted around the cycle path that borders the former barracks. The municipal district also hopes that a good transport connection to the area will be successfully established.

The mayor believes it would be wise to remove height limits for buildings in the urban plan. "A person's carbon footprint in the city is lower than that of a person living outside the city. The future of humanity will be in cities. The current urban plan allows construction up to the 5th floor. If there were taller buildings, more people could fit in, and apartments would become more affordable," said Štěpánek.