Almost CZK 3 billion will be needed to transform the neglected site of the so-called Paper Square (Papírové námestie) in the lower centre of Liberec into a creative and residential district, which is being sought by the town hall. This is according to a planning study prepared for the city by the re:architects studio. However, as the authors of the study themselves stated, it is a rough estimate of investments in the long-term horizon of 50 years and the town hall should participate in about a third of them, according to the deputy mayor Jiří Janďourek (Mayors for the Liberec Region).
“If they are comments that make sense to us, in relation to the area and the content of what we want the area to do, we will be happy to incorporate them,” the deputy said.
The area between Soukenné náměstí and the primary school in Barvířská Street is one of the most neglected places in the centre of the town of 100,000, although some houses have been repaired there in recent years. The land in this area has about 20 different owners, with the city owning most of it. It owns about 10,000 square metres.
Janďourek said the goal is to completely develop the area, which would triple the density of housing in the area. “It should be about 300 people per hectare,” the deputy said. He said they still want to maintain the genius loci of the area, which also applies to the houses, which should be no more than four storeys high. “That means there are not any high-rise buildings,” said Janďourek. He said the emphasis in the study is also on so-called blue-green infrastructure, including water management, and they continue to assume that the main parking lots for the area will be on the edge of the site. One car park would be built near the Billa store and another underground under a former factory called Linserka. Their capacity should be up to 800 spaces.
According to the study, there should also be eight public spaces in the area. One of them should be a new park created by revitalizing the urban terraces that are above the Paper Square from the side of Sokolov Square. According to the study, Paper Square, which is now a car park, is also to be transformed. It should be used for cultural and other events.
Source: CTK
Photo: České vysoké učení technické v Praze Fakulta architektury
