In Ústí nad Orlicí, machines are demolishing the former textile factory Perla 01

Ústí nad Orlicí - In Ústí nad Orlicí, construction machines are demolishing most of the buildings of the former textile factory Perla 01. In their place, the city will build a new children and youth center in the future, and the Pardubice Region will establish a new arts and crafts secondary school. One hall has already been demolished, and work will continue until the beginning of next year, as it must consider the surrounding dense development and the requirements of hygiene inspectors, said the mayor of Ústí nad Orlicí, Petr Hájek (Oušťáci Association).

"It must seem illogical to outsiders to demolish from the middle rather than from the sides, so that the halls remaining on the sides create a noise barrier against the surroundings. It's not like the company arrives and demolishes it from right to left and has it finished in two months," stated Hájek.

All production halls, including the company store, which accounts for about 80 percent of the buildings, will be demolished from the original premises. The administrative building at the corner of Lochmanova and 17. listopadu streets, the Perla cafeteria, and the Vidocq agency building, which is not owned by the city, will remain.

According to Hájek, the area should not be burdened with old contamination and will not require remediation. Hazardous materials are only contained in the construction material, such as asbestos.

The city purchased the area seven years ago. Before the textile factory went bankrupt in 2009, it employed 400 people. The children and youth center could be operational by 2018 to 2019. The investment will cost 54 million crowns, and the city expects a subsidy of 18 million crowns.

Part of the area will likely be for sale, for example for the construction of apartments or shops. The city wants to keep about a third of the 32,000 square meters of land. The area currently includes a parking lot, warehouses, a cafeteria, a security agency, offices, a medical office, a driving school, and two stores.