Kladno councillors yesterday approved a plan to sell more than 160 flats in the Ostrovec district, but have not yet set a price. The town hall management will start preparing the appraisals after the councillors approve the plan. The sale will be discussed again at a future meeting. The tenants and their relatives will have the right of first refusal. The city has already been approached by several tenants who were interested in the purchase, Kladno Mayor Milan Volf (Volba pro Kladno) announced yesterday. Kladno has more than 2,000 city flats. On the other hand, Kladno’s management has also been buying some properties into the city’s ownership in recent years.
According to Volf, the lease contracts will continue to be valid and there is no risk of tenants being evicted. The city will have the rules of sale worked out, including prices. According to a very preliminary estimate, the city should gain around CZK 300 million from the sale. “The price will be set by the council,” Volf said. According to him, the interest so far is quite high, but an overall survey of what proportion of tenants are interested in the apartment will still be processed.
Opposition councillors for STAN and the Pirates say the sale of the flats is disadvantageous for the city, both economically and socially. According to the mayor, the sale will provide the city with money for its budget, the amount of which has been reduced by the impact of the consolidation package, among other things. Moreover, the city will not have to invest in the buildings, some of the flats are not in good condition, and people will get their own flats on favourable terms, Volf added.
This year’s budget of Kladno envisages revenues and expenditures of CZK 2.5 billion, which is almost the same as last year. The budget is in deficit, the difference between the city’s own revenues and expenditures is roughly CZK 500 million, which the city will cover with a loan or subsidies, among other things. It also counts on revenues from the sale of real estate, such as the former Oko cinema or the former post office in Vrchlického Street. On the other hand, this year the city will purchase a historic building in the central pedestrian zone for CZK 19 million or will pay CZK 16 million for the former La Park hotel, whose premises are connected to the Kladno Sletiště sports ground. In total, it cost CZK 29 million, which is being paid in two instalments, last year and this year.
Source: Kladno and CTK
Photo: Statutární město Kladno
