In Česká Lípa, the demolition of the dilapidated building of the former main train station has begun

Czech Lípa - In Czech Lípa, the demolition of the dilapidated building of the former main train station began today. The unused structure, along with the land, was acquired by the town hall three years ago from Czech Railways, along with a demolition order, for which it will pay 3.3 million crowns. The contract was awarded to AZ Demolice, whose workers removed all window frames before starting the actual demolition, cleared 40 tons of long-standing debris from the building, and also removed side extensions, said town hall spokesperson Kristýna Kňákal Brožová today.

The building was already in a deplorable state at the time of purchase, disfigured the surroundings, and was also dangerous. "Although the city repeatedly tried to secure the building so that no one could enter it, it still attracted illegal visitors. Despite regular cleaning, there was often mess around, and for citizens who cut through the area from Svárov to the city center, it was unpleasant," added Mayor Jitka Volfová (ANO).

Czech Lípa negotiated the purchase of approximately 6.7 hectares of land with the old station as early as 2010. However, the asking price of 65 million crowns from Czech Railways seemed too high to the then town council, which also insisted on assessing the ecological burden in the area. Even after the price was reduced to 53 million following the assessment, it was still unacceptable for the city. It wasn't until 2020 that both parties agreed, and the city paid 22.6 million crowns in two installments for the land with the old station building.

A month ago, the town council also approved purchasing from Czech Railways a premises that previously served as an oil warehouse. For the land with the dilapidated buildings on Czech Street, the town hall will pay 9.417 million crowns. "These are strategic plots," said Deputy Mayor Martin Brož (ANO), who presented the material to the council. "It's an area of a total of 18,627 m², which comes to about 505 crowns per square meter. This area is also included in the zoning plan for the city’s further development in this location," added Brož.

According to the town hall, the entire area of the former station is a development location, with the zoning plan providing for the construction of a multifunctional complex for administration, commercial and other business services, and with a reasonable share of housing. The construction office has already issued a demolition order for the buildings of the former oil warehouse, but the land will need to be cleared due to ecological burdens.