The Central Bohemian Region will map abandoned industrial and agricultural areas

    PRAGUE - The Central Bohemian Region, together with the government agency CzechInvest, will map abandoned industrial and agricultural areas and sites in Central Bohemia that are no longer serving their purpose. A feasibility study for the localization of so-called brownfields in the region is expected to be completed by the middle of next year. The selected sites will be offered to potential investors at trade fairs and various occasions, said councilor Josef Kutík to CTK today.
    The study will cost nearly two million crowns. The costs will be shared between the region and CzechInvest. The selection process for the firm that will prepare the study has already been concluded. The winner is expected to be confirmed by the regional council next week, Kutík stated.
    There are numerous abandoned areas, the so-called brownfields, in the territory of Central Bohemia. Among the largest is the former Boží Dar airport in the former military area of Milovice - Mladá. Often these are neglected or contaminated sites that will need regeneration. The region has an overview of the larger areas. They do not want to overlook smaller and minor land and buildings, such as cow barns, haylofts, or concrete cubes of cultural houses built during the socialist era.
    The study plans to conduct a comprehensive survey in the first phase. About 20 identified significant sites will be processed in more detail. For approximately ten selected locations, a more detailed study of their usability will be prepared so that CzechInvest can offer them to investors, the councilor specified.
    The region has previously attempted to gain an overview of land and buildings that can be reused for industrial or agricultural production. They were responsive to municipalities that decided to seek new uses for such spaces. They participated not only in the basic project documentation but also in finding suitable investors. The revitalization of abandoned spaces is generally valued not only for the further development of the region but also in terms of nature and landscape protection.
    CzechInvest collaborates on mapping brownfields with all regions. For example, in the Moravian-Silesian and Ústí nad Labem regions, studies were prepared in 2003 to 2004, identifying 216 and 758 primary locations suitable for revitalization, said Ivo Semerák, head of the CzechInvest department for business real estate to CTK.
    The studies will primarily serve to identify projects that can be supported under various grant schemes, he stated. "Thanks to this study, it will also be possible to obtain materials for proposing new suitable programs for the next programming period 2007 to 2013, which will enable us to draw funds from EU structural funds for these revitalizations to the maximum extent possible," he added.