Mělník will resolve the dispute over part of the land near the football field by moving it

The management of Mělník will resolve the dispute over private land at the FC Mělník football field by moving it to areas that belong only to the town. The city has refused to buy the current land because of the asking price, and no agreement has been reached to exchange it for other land. The management of the town hall plans to move the playing area to create one full-sized grass pitch and a smaller one with an artificial surface. The total cost is approximately CZK 15 million. A tender is now being prepared, Mělník councillor for sport Karel Kasáček (ANO) said yesterday.

"This year I would be happy for the work to start," Kasáček said. He said the new playing fields should be ready for play next spring at the latest, but could be ready by the end of this year.

Several private owners own more than 2,000 square metres of land in the football complex. According to the owners' representative Michal Kryml, the asking price is CZK 3,000 to 3,500 per square metre. Expert opinions commissioned by the city administration indicate a price of CZK 500 to CZK 1,000 per square metre. That is why the management of Mělník refuses the purchase, as it has to act as a good steward according to the law. According to Kasáček, however, if the owners agreed to the price corresponding to the municipal assessments, the town would like to buy the land to create a complete complex.

After the 2022 municipal elections, the new city leadership terminated the land lease agreement for CZK 430,000 per year, which was to be valid for one year. According to former deputy mayor Milan Schweigstill (for STAN), the previous city leadership had planned a project that would have seen the playground landscaped and rotated so that it did not encroach on the land, where there are complications in the agreement. The termination was followed by a dispute with the owners, who insisted on the proper handover of the land, a criminal complaint was filed and the land was temporarily off-limits for play.

Source: CTK
Photo: FC Mělník