Z Plzně příští rok zmizí největší nepovolená stavba, připravuje se její demolice Next year, the largest unauthorized construction in Plzeň will disappear, preparations for its demolition are underway.

Plzeň - The seven-story shell of the former Carimex car dealership on Rokycanská Street, which locals refer to as "glass hell," will disappear next year. It will be replaced by a complex of buildings with apartments, a shopping center, and offices. The demolition and subsequent construction are being prepared by local developers InterCora and BC Real. They have started work on the documentation for the issuance of a demolition order for the Carimex building, said Mayor Pavel Šindelář (ODS) to ČTK. The largest unauthorized construction, the ruins of which have marred the city for nearly a quarter of a century, must be demolished by the builders no later than April 2024 according to a May agreement with the city. Otherwise, the city will not sell them the part of the land they need for the new development. The two-year deadline is non-negotiable.

According to InterCora's managing director Ivan Hlaváček, the team has been working on the new development project for about two years. "Now we have a definitive assignment and a month ago we tasked architects with the project for the zoning decision, which will be ready at the beginning of next year, and the zoning decision will be issued by the end of the year. As soon as it is issued, we can immediately demolish (Carimex)," Hlaváček said. In parallel with the documentation for the zoning decision, the investors are preparing materials for the demolition order. According to Hlaváček, the construction of the new buildings will start in 2024.

They will be built by the Plzeň companies InterCora and BC Real, which signed an agreement with the city on May 25 this year. The signatures were also added by the Plzeň Waterworks and two companies that own Carimex - RP Letná and MS Letná. According to the mayor, the agreement is based on a simple principle. "Investors want to build apartments, offices, and a shopping center in the area. And for that, they also need city land (which is less than half). And we want that embarrassment to finally disappear," he said. As soon as the developers demolish the shell of Carimex, the city will sell them the land. Plzeň also has a two-year deadline to change the zoning plan so that apartments can also be built there; work on that change is already underway.

"Carimex is one of the first structures that everyone has to pass by when arriving in our city from Prague. The location deserves for the shell to finally disappear," said the mayor. The building permit for Carimex Renault dates back to 1997. A Plzeň entrepreneur enlarged the building without permission by several extensions and the upper three floors. Afterwards, the unfinished structure deteriorated and there were several court disputes regarding the ownership of the land. No building authority and no court was able to resolve it, the mayor stated. The developers promised to withdraw the lawsuit against the city filed by the previous owner of the premises.