Pardubice plans affordable housing in Polabiny

The town of Pardubice will probably build an apartment building to provide affordable housing for people. It is examining a site in K Polabiny Street, but will have more information when it completes a study, said Jakub Rychtecký (Žijeme v Pardubice/SOCDEM), deputy mayor of Pardubice.

According to him, new subsidy calls are currently being prepared and the possibility of soft loans from the National Regeneration Plan is being examined.

The first subsidy calls could be announced this autumn. The city has released half a million crowns for a study to determine if the land is suitable for the building, how big the house should be and how many apartments it could contain.

"The land belongs to the city, there is a kindergarten nearby. Now the land is in a dismal state," the deputy mayor said.

If the study proposes to go ahead, the council and city council would then discuss the investment plan, including financing. "The grant and soft loan should not go towards social housing. We want to build affordable rental housing," the deputy said. The project is aimed at the middle class or young working people looking for starter housing, he added.

Councillors approved the money for the study on Monday. Opposition councillor Vítězslav Štěpánek (ODS) suggested that the city should rather build a park on the site, saying that the next generation would appreciate it more. "Housing in the centre reduces the costs of infrastructure. It belongs in the centre. It is better than building housing for cars, parking houses there," he said.

The town hall is looking for other housing options. It has not built apartment buildings in recent years. A site where housing could be built is the former Hůrka barracks. The city owns 5.5 hectares there. In the past, the town hall has discussed selling the land, but no transaction has taken place. A zoning study will be created for the site.

Source: CTK