Hradec Králové again rejected the legalization of the illegal construction CTP

Hradec Králové - The representatives of Hradec Králové today again rejected the legalization of the illegal construction of a shopping park by CTP Invest on the outskirts of Hradec Králové. They confirmed their September decision, in which they refused to grant the company permission to build an access road to the park on city-owned land. With their decision, the representatives also rejected a donation of seven million crowns that CTP Invest had offered the city for granting approval. 26 representatives voted against the legalization of the illegal construction, three abstained, and six did not vote.

The extensive shopping park was started without permission by the company last autumn near the bypass road from Hradec Králové to Ostrava. After several previous unsuccessful calls from authorities to stop construction, the work was suspended at the beginning of March. By that time, the first hall was almost completed, and the second was at the beginning of construction. For disregarding the authorities' calls to stop work, the company paid fines of 1.7 million crowns.

Representatives from the opposition movement ANO proposed to postpone the vote. They justified this by stating that they had little information on the issue, particularly lacking a legal analysis prepared by the city council. "It is possible that we could expose ourselves to a lawsuit (with CTP)," warned representative Václav Víška (ANO). The majority of the discussing representatives called for a vote, pointing out that there had not been any change in the situation since September. "The land is ours, so it is entirely within our competence to express ourselves about it," stated Deputy Mayor Jindřich Vedlich (TOP 09), who had previously described the company as unreliable. Without the city’s approval to expand the road, CTP cannot obtain an additional building permit.

CTP Invest has been trying to convince the representatives in recent weeks to grant approval, offering a financial donation to the city and explaining its intentions to the public. "Our aim is to resolve the current situation constructively for the benefit of all parties involved, that is, without the need to demolish buildings that are close to completion," stated Radek Zeman, the managing director of CTP Invest, in a letter to city representatives last week.

CTP stated before the vote that a negative decision from the city would certainly not mean the demolition of the halls. "There could be lengthy court disputes, which would be costly for both sides, and throughout the duration of these protracted court cases, the remains of the unfinished halls will stand on the outskirts of Hradec," quoted Hradecký deník the legal representative of CTP, Luboš Zajíček.

Once completed, according to the original plans, CTPark is expected to offer over 21,000 m² of leasable space. The total area of the park is over five hectares, with Česká spořitelna and the company Dachser being the tenants. Zeman mentioned in the letter that CTP Invest’s plan is to invest about 800 million crowns in the project in Hradec Králové, of which 270 million crowns has already been invested. The project was reportedly supposed to bring 350 jobs.

The CTP group, owned by several Dutch entrepreneurs, operates a network of 36 logistics and industrial CTParks and is the largest industrial developer in the Czech Republic. Besides the Czech Republic, they are also located in Slovakia, Romania, and Poland. The total area reaches 2.3 million square meters. The group posted an operating profit of 100 million euros (approximately 2.75 billion crowns) two years ago.