Hradec Králové is still negotiating with the Czech Post about the purchase of a post office building in the Nový Hradec Králové district. The town hall has budgeted CZK 8.5 million for the purchase of the building, according to Kateřina Rohlíčková, spokesperson for the town hall. In the future, the post office should be transferred to the Post Office Partner programme. The city and the Czech Post would thus fulfil an agreement from last spring, according to which the post office in Hradec Králové closed only six of seven intended branches and the city promised to take over the Novohradec post office into the Posta Partner programme. The Nový Hradec branch was not among the seven post offices slated for closure.
Originally, the city considered moving the Novohradec branch to the city library building in Nový Hradec Králové. This was eventually abandoned. The intention of a property swap with additional payment, where the town would exchange its land in Deštné v Orlických horách, where the Czech Post has a cottage, for the building of the Novohradec branch with the Czech Post, did not materialise either. The town would pay the difference in the value of the property to the Czech Post.
The acquisition of the post office building in Nový Hradec Králové makes sense, according to Deputy Mayor Pavel Vrbický (Pirates). “The building is quite nice, there are two flats in it. We are negotiating with the Czech Post and the purchase will probably happen,” Vrbický said recently. He said the city is not considering buying any of the buildings after the six closed branches. The Czech Post is gradually offering these buildings for sale in electronic auctions.
This spring, Česká pošta closed the branch in the centre of Hradec Králové on ČSA Avenue and replaced it with a new branch in the building of the ČSOB regional centre in the Aldis zone. The number of Česká pošta branches in Hradec Králové remained at eight. Compared to the original branch on ČSA Avenue, the post office in the ČSOB building is wheelchair accessible, has a call system and has five instead of three counters. The opening of the post office in the modern CSOB building was already planned when it opened in September 2021.
In the Hradec Králové Region, last year, during negotiations with the Czech Post about the cancelled branches, the city council managed to keep only the branch in Hradec Králové on Benešova třída in the Moravské Předměstí housing estate. In the other six towns, the branches were closed on 1 July last year according to the original plan. In total, 15 post offices in the region were closed.
Source: CTK
