Planned radar in Brdy starts to influence the real estate market

Borovno (Plzeň Region) - The construction of the planned radar in the Brdy area is beginning to affect the local real estate market. Some mayors have already noticed an increased interest from real estate agencies in available municipal land, while others are receiving signals from property owners, primarily holiday home owners, that if the radar is installed, they will sell their properties and leave Brdy. Civil initiatives warn that the construction of the radar will significantly lower real estate prices, as discovered by ČTK.
    "Real estate agencies and private individuals are showing interest in land in our area. It seems to be a lucrative place now," said Pavel Hrubý, the mayor of Míšov, which has 116 residents. According to him, the interest is purely related to the radar, as inquiries about available plots began to rise about four months ago. Míšov is located just under two kilometers from the places where the base is expected to be built.
    According to Jan Neoral from Trokavec, eight kilometers away, several holiday home owners have admitted that if the radar is built, they will not stay in the area. "Recreational property owners have approached me to see if the municipality or the state would buy their cottages," Neoral said. He independently requested an assessment from a real estate agency last year, which concluded that property prices near the radar could drop by as much as 60 percent. "People primarily from Prague and České Budějovice want to escape from here. Locals cannot do anything; they don't have the money to buy something else," Neoral added.
    According to Hrubý, it has not yet happened that someone in the area has sold their house. However, some mayors believe that people are still waiting to sell. For example, the family of Iveta Ratouská from 13 kilometers away in Mirošov is determined to sell their new home. "The radar will completely devalue why we are here. I am worried about health; we won't let our children grow up here," Ratouská stated. She knows of others, mainly young people, who are ready to leave.
    Civil initiatives are also pointing out the decline in property prices. "After the first reports of a possible military base, property values dropped drastically. It is clear that based on this information, there will be significant property transfers," said Ivona Novomestská from the initiative No Bases. The initiative had estimates prepared by several real estate agencies a year ago, which projected a property value drop of up to 60 percent. "The government's reaction was that property values here would actually increase. However, experiences from abroad are completely the opposite; people around bases do not live better," she added.
    "I can assess the impact on the environment and the health of the population; I am not a real estate agent," said Martin Bursík, the Minister of the Environment, to ČTK. The ministry will assess the impact on the environment and the health of the people and already has a lot of data on the parameters of the facilities. "In my opinion, it should not have any effect on property prices. Of course, speculators can play with this, riding on emotions and driving prices up or down," the minister added.
    Real estate agencies in the region that ČTK contacted have not observed any significant movement in the real estate market near the radar, but they do not deny that speculators may already be interested in Brdy. "It is true that when a publicly beneficial construction, such as a highway, is being built, these people are interested in the land," said Filip Klapáč from the La Pietra real estate agency.
    According to Zdeněk Paulus from the Green Party, the radar will be a major issue in the regional elections. "A Prague law firm is preparing an analysis for us regarding the decline in property prices. We will present it by autumn," Paulus said.