On the southern outskirts of Pilsen, a huge housing estate will be created

Plzeň - On the outskirts of Plzeň towards Klatovy, a huge housing estate will be created for tens of thousands of residents. In addition to housing, stores, light manufacturing halls, and sports facilities will be built on 650 vacant hectares of fields and meadows. The Plzeň city hall will complete the concept for the entire area by the end of the year and will begin work on changing the zoning plan. The first houses in the South City will be erected in four years, said Plzeň Mayor Miroslav Kalous to ČTK.
The area is defined by the municipal district of Radobyčice, road I/27 towards Klatovy, and the motorway bypass of Plzeň. All plots are in private hands. The city hall aims to build the infrastructure of the entire area, which currently only exists along the roads and motorway. "It will be an investment in the order of hundreds of millions of crowns, for which we will request state and European subsidies next year," the mayor stated. The annual investment budget for Plzeň is 400 million crowns for all projects, which would not even be sufficient for building networks.
"The built-up area should be comparable from a bird's-eye view to the Northern suburb," the mayor stated. In this location, which is exactly on the opposite side towards Karlovy Vary and Žatec, about 70,000 of the approximately 170,000 Plzeň residents currently live. It includes the largest estate Lochotín, as well as residential complexes Košutka and Vinice.
Recently, the councilors approved the preparation of a new urban district. They want to retain citizens in the city who often relocate to satellite towns around the regional city and attract more permanent residents to it.
The city is not entering any preliminary agreements with private landowners. "The tool that will define the type and procedure of construction will be the zoning plan," said Kalous. According to him, residential construction is already taking place primarily on private land.
The city hall will support the construction of infrastructure and assist in seeking subsidies. The area may have one large developer or several smaller ones who will negotiate relationships with the owners themselves. The phased construction option will be more realistic. "We want to have the basic concept of the area by the end of the year," Kalous added.
Energy suppliers see the South City as a huge opportunity and are already intensively preparing for it. "It's a strategic matter," stated Tomáš Drápela, the CEO of Plzeňská teplárenská, which supplies heat to three-quarters of the city's residents. The municipal company is waiting for the completion of the area study and will immediately offer its concept along with pricing for heating.