Prostějov will order a study on the use of the cavalry barracks

Prostějov - The Prostějov Town Hall will have a study prepared to indicate how to deal with the abandoned site of the former cavalry barracks. The city has not yet found a new use for the barracks, and no viable project has been submitted by the entrepreneurs to whom the town hall offered the properties. The dilapidated cavalry barracks have been empty for a long time and attract homeless individuals.
    The mayor's deputy Zdeněk Fišer (ČSSD) told ČTK that the study for the utilization of the cavalry barracks site is required by the zoning plan before any potential construction begins in this part of the city. "Another reason is the demand from opposition councilors who insist on preserving the existing building. We will thus get an answer to whether it is more economically advantageous to build from scratch or to costly renovate the existing, dilapidated building," said Fišer.
    The study, which will cost 200,000 crowns, should answer the question of whether a potential reconstruction will allow the layout of the barracks building to be changed so that it can be used for housing. "The current design of the barracks is based on the requirement for mass housing for soldiers. Transforming it, for example into a community house for seniors, would require significant intervention in the building's structure. It is an open question how future residents would feel in a former, albeit renovated, barracks building," believes Fišer.
    The town hall previously received six project proposals, but none were realized due to high costs. A few years ago, for example, there was consideration of constructing a residential care facility that would cost 159 million crowns. "Even though there was a possibility of obtaining a generous subsidy at that time, investors eventually backed away from the plan," Fišer noted.
     According to the deputy, it would probably be best to demolish the buildings. The city could then obtain a subsidy for the regeneration of the area. The land is owned by the city, and according to the zoning plan, civic amenities can be built there. The town hall considered building a multifunctional center at the site of the cavalry barracks, which would replace the old community house, although a decision on its demolition has yet to be made.
    The town hall has already announced a tender for the demolition of the barrack buildings, which was won by the company DEKONTA - AQUASYS - demolition. The demolition of the barracks is expected to cost around 4.4 million crowns, which is nine million less than what the town hall had anticipated.
    The cavalry barracks in Prostějov were built at the end of the 19th century. They were initially home to a cavalry regiment, which was later replaced by a radar unit. In the 1990s, the army abandoned the barracks, and they have been deteriorating since. The site contained 13 buildings, including a dining hall, storage, and a vehicle fleet.