The building of the home in Brtníky in the Děčín region is being demolished despite protests

Ústí nad Labem/Brtníky - The Ústí nad Labem region will demolish the social housing building in Brtníkách in the Děčín area, even though locals are protesting against it. The demolition has already begun. The historic school building will be replaced by a facility for supported housing. František Moravec, the mayor of Staré Křečany, to which Brtníky belongs, today urged regional representatives to prevent the devastation of the Šluknov's peninsula, while the councilors defended their decision to demolish. They stated that the demolition can no longer be stopped.

"This is an incomprehensible step for us. We offered the region land for the construction of a new building on the condition that we would take over the school," said Moravec. Local associations, according to him, do not understand why one of the few historic buildings in this area is to be demolished. According to Moravec, the associations have filed a lawsuit against the valid demolition order and the construction permit. People have also requested the halt of the demolition through two petitions, one of which has 300 signatures and the other 200.

The area in Brtníkách has served as a social care institution since the 1960s. Recently, it was used by clients with health disabilities. A few years ago, the region decided whether it was more efficient to repair the building where the clients live or to demolish it and build a new one. In 2015, a decision was made to demolish. Since then, according to the mayor, Staré Křečany have been trying to negotiate with the region. "The area is large; it could have been built on a greenfield site, and the funds for the demolition could have been concentrated on changing the project and on the reconstruction of (the former school), where there could have been municipal apartments, including for the staff of the home," Moravec told ČTK.

Twenty clients left the home as of December 31, 2019. Demolition has already begun. In the past, the National Heritage Institute and the Association for the Development of Šluknovka, which includes 18 municipalities in the region, have expressed support for preserving the building. Regional councilor Ladislav Drlý (KSČM) stated that the fate of the building should have been discussed years ago, not today. The mayor said that the city has been offering alternatives for the construction of a new building since 2015. The cost of building a new facility exceeds 40 million crowns.