Prostějov is looking for an author for a study on the use of the riding barracks area

Prostějov - The Prostějov city hall has announced a tender for a land use study that is intended to help it find a use for the abandoned site of the former riding barracks. Zdeněk Fišer (ČSSD), deputy mayor, informed ČTK about this today. The city plans to demolish the dilapidated barracks buildings and build new ones in their place, which has caused discontent among part of Prostějov's residents.
    According to Fišer, architects who are qualified for this activity can apply for the tender on the land use study. The authors of the study will be tasked with developing an option that maintains the barracks building and the riding hall, while also proposing land use without these buildings. The study will aid the council in making decisions about what to do with the site of the riding barracks. "We do not intend to reconstruct the old military building, but rather to build a new one that will form the façade of the future square," stated Fišer.
    The city hall argues that renovating the barracks would be significantly more expensive. "The new building will be 30 percent cheaper than renovating the barracks. With the saved money, which amounts to approximately 30 million crowns, we could build, for example, a communal housing unit, or invest in the construction of a swimming pool or the renovation of the winter stadium," noted Fišer.
    The city hall plans to build, for instance, community apartments for elderly people or apartments with caregiving services in place of the barracks. "We are placing a main emphasis on increasing greenery, specifically the construction of a central park in this area. The park will be connected to the existing botanical garden and also to the area designated for its future expansion," said Fišer.
    The riding barracks were built in Prostějov at the end of the 19th century. Initially, they housed a cavalry regiment, which was replaced by a radar unit. In the 1990s, the army vacated the barracks, and since then they have been dilapidated. The city took over the site in 2004 and has not yet found a use for it.
    The long-abandoned barracks are deteriorating and attracting homeless people. The city hall has already selected a company that should demolish the barracks. The opposition disagrees with this, arguing that the area can be repaired and used meaningfully. A petition for the preservation of the historic building of the riding barracks has been signed by over a thousand people.
    Recently, entrepreneur Jitka Meszárosová unexpectedly expressed interest in the dilapidated riding barracks. She wants to renovate them and establish a follow-up care medical facility in them. The council will discuss the offer, but they believe that these services are already provided by the hospital in Prostějov.