Liberec does not have the money for the revitalization of Soukenné Square

Liberec - The new leadership of Liberec, led by the Change for Liberec party, yesterday canceled the competition for the revitalization of Soukenné náměstí. The tender was won in September by the construction company Syner with the lowest bid. The previous leadership of the city hall, led by the ODS party, confirmed the competition results just before the elections. The main reason for canceling the competition is the fact that the city does not have the 17 million crowns for the revitalization of the square in its budget, Mayor Jan Korytář (Change for Liberec) told reporters.
    "I would suggest this course of action even if another company had won the competition," emphasized the mayor. According to him, the reason is not only the lack of funds but also the unclear concept regarding the revitalization of Liberec's squares - besides Soukenné náměstí, this also concerns the renewal of Nerudova, Papírového, Sokolovského, and Malého náměstí. "The issue is linked to the announced intention to create the position of chief architect, and therefore at this moment we do not want to make a significant intervention in the form of the center and, given the financial situation, we cannot either," Korytář added.
    The competition for the reconstruction of Soukenné náměstí was announced twice by the city this year; the first was canceled because the bid prices were deemed excessive by the council - exceeding 20 million crowns. A new competition was subsequently organized for the magistrate by an external firm, with ten candidates applying, but five of them were disqualified by the commission due to formal errors. Among the five firms, Syner offered the lowest price of 17.1 million crowns.
    The reconstruction of Soukenné náměstí was originally planned to follow the construction work in the so-called lower center of the city, where the company MULTI Development completed the second phase of the Forum shopping center in September this year. The project included a significant expansion of the pedestrian zone. In an area that thousands of people pass through daily, a relaxation zone was to be constructed. The investor added three million crowns for the revitalization of the square, and the city hall will now negotiate a possible extension of the contract according to Korytář.