Špindlerův Mlýn made millions during the construction closure

Hradec Králové - The town of Špindlerův Mlýn in the Krkonoš mountains has earned at least 52 million crowns from exceptions granted to investors over the course of two years of construction bans. Additionally, it received millions in donations. City councilors approved at least eight construction projects worth hundreds of millions of crowns for investors in the last two years. This was reported today by Právo in the supplement for the Královéhradecký region.
Parts of the citizens of the most well-known Czech winter resort, however, oppose the rapid construction of apartment buildings and are now fighting against it with a petition. The town is allegedly starting to resemble a housing estate and is losing its character as a mountain resort.
A stop to commercial buildings was officially declared by Špindlerův Mlýn due to the insufficient capacity of the wastewater treatment plant, aiming to regulate the number of recreational beds. "We adopted the construction ban so that the city would gain something from it. The investors would push their interests anyway," stated Špindlerův councilor Stanislav Šebek according to Právo.
The sum paid by investors to the city for a bed in apartment units usually amounts to 40,000 crowns, according to Právo. The city hall considers the concessions to investors as compensation for recreational fees, which, unlike hotel owners, apartment owners do not pay. "It's not corruption, but compensation that we receive in recreational fees for several years in advance," said the mayor of the city, Oldřich Šimek.
According to Šimek, the city has established a representative committee that will recommend to the council how to proceed in granting exceptions. "Logically, no further exceptions to the construction ban should be granted, as the citizens do not wish for it," said Šimek.