Karlovy Vary Region will pay more than CZK 20 million for setting aside forest land for the airport

The Karlovy Vary Region will pay more than CZK 20 million to change the designation of forest land it needs for the expansion of the Karlovy Vary Airport, which it owns. Only then will it be able to buy the land from the Czech Forestry Service. Acquiring the land from the Czech Forestry Service and the surrounding municipalities is a prerequisite for the expansion and extension of the airport's runway so that larger planes from more distant destinations can land there, according to Dalibor Blažek (Local), deputy governor of the Karlovy Vary Region.

Buying the land from the state organisation Lesy ČR is not easy, Blažek said. "Lesy ČR cannot sell a forest, but only land that is not a forest. That is why we have agreed to make an expert opinion and ask for the land to be removed from the land intended to fulfil the function of a forest. The assessment was prepared and now we have a decision from the Environment Department that we will pay about CZK 21 million for the removal of land designated for forest function and about CZK 1.5 million for damages to the farmers for the fact that there will no longer be a forest there," Blažek said.

The fee for changing the nature of the land will not end up in the budget of the Forestry Service, but will also partially benefit local municipalities in whose cadastre the land lies. Of the fee, 60 percent will go to the state budget and the rest will be divided between the municipalities of Pila, Karlovy Vary and Andělská Hora, Blažek said.

Only after the nature of the land is changed from forest land to another use can the Karlovy Vary Region start negotiating with the Forestry of the Czech Republic about selling the land. The final price has not been set.

The Karlovy Vary Region would like to complete the modernisation of the Karlovy Vary Airport runway in 2026. It is a multi-source project, which would involve the region, the state and private investors. The county has completed an environmental impact assessment and is preparing documents for a building permit. The estimated cost of the extension and extension of the railway is about CZK 1.1 billion.

Source: CTK
Photo: airport-k-vary.cz