Zlín is starting to prepare a reconstruction plan for the Svit complex

Zlín - The Zlín City Hall is beginning to prepare a project for the reconstruction of the Svit industrial complex. It should be clear within a few months about its future architectural appearance and transportation connections. However, repairing the outdated infrastructure will primarily depend on the influx of funds. According to Deputy Mayor Martin Janečka (ČSSD), this will likely be addressed by the next leadership of the regional city.
    Zlín has owned the infrastructure in the industrial zone since last December when it was transferred to the city, along with other properties after Svit, by Ekoinvest. The city paid a total of 50 million crowns for them. The unresolved property relations after the Svit group had long hindered any investments in the renewal of the zone and caused its currently disastrous condition.
    "The most important thing is to resolve the reconstruction of the infrastructure that exists in the area. That is, roads, water lines, sewers, sidewalks, and so on," said Janečka. Although the city has a study available that assessed the costs of reconstruction, it is already several years old, and actual figures will therefore differ.
    The city hall currently estimates the costs to be several hundred million crowns, but it cannot cover them from its own budget. "We will apply, I assume in cooperation with the Zlín Region and other organizations operating in Svit, for grants from the European Union, but I cannot state this term at all," the deputy mentioned. According to him, it will depend on the schedule of public calls for drawing funds from EU funds.
    The Zlín City Hall had previously announced that it would establish a non-profit organization to which it would transfer its property in Svit, which could then apply for European funding for revitalization. The specific form of this organization will be decided within a few months, according to Janečka. In the meantime, the city has established a commission that will address the property relations and transportation solutions in Svit. Members include representatives from the city hall, the regional government, and companies that currently own parts of the complex.
    The industrial zone occupies about 65 hectares and contains more than a hundred buildings. Most of them are currently owned by entities operating here. The complex directly adjoins the historical core of Zlín and includes the so-called Baťa skyscraper, the current seat of the Zlín Region.