DECEMBER 2020
Ostrava sells land at the Mošnov industrial zone to international developer Panattoni
The City of Ostrava is selling land at the Mošnov Small Development Zone to the developer Panattoni for a total sum of 286 million CZK (excl. VAT). The sale was approved by Ostrava’s City Assembly at its December session, when deputies chose between the two bids that had been submitted. The winning bid will enable Panattoni to develop an area of almost 39 hectares to create an industrial park for standard distribution and light manufacturing use as well as for IT operations, R&D and e-commerce; this is in line with the current trend towards digitalization and the associated automation of production processes.
The City’s decision to sell was motivated not only by the fact that the land is ready for new development to begin immediately (being zoned as a light industrial area), but also by signals from investors who want to expand their portfolio to Ostrava. The location offers a number of advantages: it is a short distance from central Ostrava (just 25 minutes), next to an international airport, with direct connections to city and regional public transport, offering a qualified workforce in the surrounding area, and able to benefit from the Ostrava region’s strong tradition of industry, science and technology. A study has been drawn up for a direct rail link to the new zone.
Panattoni has committed to create at least 207 jobs with high added value, and 1932 new jobs in total. It is also expected that Ostrava’s Technical University will cooperate with some of the new occupants of the zone. Panattoni’s project will also be environmentally friendly; the purchase contract between the developer and the City explicitly states that no heavy industrial or chemical production will be permitted at the zone, and Panattoni will also be applying for BREEAM New Construction certification (level: Excellent). The certification process assesses new buildings in ten different categories, from energy efficiency to internal spaces.
Ostrava’s 10th architectural competition has a winner
On 8 December 2020, Ostrava’s City Council approved the result of an architectural competition for the design of a new parking garage near the city’s cathedral. The winner, the studio Chalupa Architekti, was selected by a jury made up of renowned experts.
Ostrava’s Municipal Studio for Urban Planning and Architecture (MAPPA) published information about the garage on its Facebook page: “The winning design for the parking garage respects its surroundings, complements the neighbouring rectory building, and is large enough to make a positive contribution to the overall appearance of the cathedral square. The cathedral is a very large structure with a powerful presence, and it needs a strong partner – which this design certainly is. The garage will offer around 400 parking spaces, with shops and services on the ground-floor level helping to make it an integral part of the urban fabric. In the future, it will be possible to reconstruct the garage if required, for example to create a residential building.”
The parking garage at the cathedral is one of the City’s projects which aims to address the long-term lack of parking spaces in the city centre and relieve pressure on the surrounding streets. Thanks to the new garage, it will be possible to undertake a complete revitalization of the cathedral square (CZ), which is currently used as a parking lot. The competition was coordinated by the MAPPA studio.
Source (only in Czech)
Ostrava’s balanced budget for 2021 will guarantee high levels of investment
Ostrava’s City Assembly approved the City’s 2021 budget at its session on 11 December 2021. The budgeted income and expenditure will be 9.9 billion CZK. Of this sum, a full 25% will be channelled into investment projects. The City’s capital budget (including loan capital) will be 3.5 billion CZK, the highest figure in Ostrava’s history.
Although income from national-level taxation will drop as a result of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing savings to be made, the City has decided on a strategy of reducing current expenditure while retaining the maximum possible level of investment, focusing especially on projects that are currently underway: the reconstruction of the Poklad Cultural Centre, the completion of the Janáčkova Street apartment complex, and the transformation of the historic municipal slaughterhouse building into a modern art gallery. These and other investments will help to kick-start Ostrava’s economic recovery.
More information (only in Czech)
Ostrava University’s Medical Faculty is strengthening its research base
The Medical Faculty at the University of Ostrava is integrating research into its teaching programmes, channelling huge investments into research facilities, coordinating the establishment of new research teams (and international mobility), and supporting research-based startups, competitions and conferences.
The Faculty is working hard to renew the current accreditation for its General Medicine programme, and besides expanding its staff base it is also focusing firmly on research. Under the leadership of its new Dean Rastislav Maďar, and in collaboration with the University’s management and Ostrava University Hospital, the Faculty has created a research development plan with the aim of growing into an attractive research facility for world-class medical research teams. The main priority is to motivate students, graduates and academics to engage in high-quality research projects as well as attracting top researchers from other institutions. To coordinate these plans, the Faculty has created the LERCO project, which will integrate basic research, applied research and the commercial application of research outputs.
Besides LERCO, the University of Ostrava is also planning other projects to expand and strengthen its research base – including the Research Startups project, which aims to attract new researchers and research teams, especially from abroad.
Jiří Havrlant, the Director of Ostrava’s University Hospital, explained the benefits: “It represents an excellent opportunity for young academics and research workers (up to age 40) who have the potential to help the Faculty and the Hospital to further strengthen their research activities. I am confident that the results of their work will help push forward developments in areas such as oncology, hemato-oncology, neurosciences and more.”
New office complex to be built in Ostrava’s city centre
A new office building is planned for Ostrava’s city centre. Inspired by the shape of a coal mine winding tower, the new complex has been designed by the Grido architectural studio. It will be used by the investment company ette, which is moving its head office from Prague back to Ostrava, where the company was originally established.
CEO of the ette Group Daniel Barč explained the decision: “Not only have we decided to move back to our home town, but we’re also keen to help Ostrava successfully manage its process of transformation from a former heavy industrial centre to a modern administrative and cultural hub. Our new building will be a strikingly interesting piece of architecture which will combine Ostrava’s historical heritage with modern elements.”
The new complex will be built on a vacant lot in Ostrava’s city centre at the junction of Švabinského and Porážková Streets. The Assembly of the Moravská Ostrava a Přívoz Municipal District approved the sale of the land at its session on 9 September 2019. The building will have five above-ground floors, a parking area for employees and visitors, and a roof garden for relaxation.
Source, visualization (only in Czech)
A unique investment opportunity in central Ostrava
A former steelworks complex near Ostrava city centre offers a unique investment opportunity for industrial and logistics development. The site is located next to Rudná Street and the D56 motorway, offering rapid connections with all major population centres in the region and beyond. It is also linked to a rail line, giving access to the international railway network which opens up potential markets in neighbouring Poland and Slovakia.
The total area of the site is 26 hectares, making it one of the largest development areas in the central part of Ostrava. The complex consists of two separate pieces of land (182 000 m² and 82 000 m²).
For more information, interested parties can contact the regional agency Moravian-Silesian Investment and Development (MSID).
Ostrava continues to expand its range of new apartments
Ostrava’s range of new apartments continues to expand, and the City is also investing in the modernization of existing apartment buildings. In October 2020 the City made municipal apartments available for lease at two fully reconstructed buildings in Husova and Střelniční Streets. In the spring of 2021, the City will begin accepting bids to lease municipal apartments at a brand-new residential development in Janáčkova Street.
Rental apartments are increasingly popular options, and they are a growing trend in the modern housing market. By reconstructing historical buildings in the city centre, Ostrava is achieving several of its goals at once: it is expanding the range of high-quality rental housing, revitalizing the city centre by attracting new residents, and helping to improve the quality of public space by renovating the façades of these beautiful structures.
Some new apartments are being built by private investors keen to expand their portfolios in the city centre, such as the complex at Preslova Street (CZ). However, apartments are also springing up in other districts of Ostrava: these include the Rezidence Anna (CZ) project in Martinov and the new Hruškový Sad row houses in Muglinov (CZ).
The best startups come from the Moravian-Silesian Region
At the end of each year the CzechInvest agency announces its CzechInvest Startup Challenge competition. This year, the first two prizes have been won by startups from the Moravian-Silesian Region, competing against 80 other entrants to the competition. First prize went to 24 Vision System, a project developing a comprehensive quality control tool. Second prize was taken by Ullmanna, which is developing a smart tool for farmers enabling them to increase their production of organic foods.
Both winning startups are clients of the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre (MSIC), emphasizing the success of this platform as well as the benefits brought by other programmes supporting innovation and enterprise that have been funded for many years by both the City of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region.
In an interview for the regional Patriot magazine, Ostrava’s Mayor Tomáš Macura gave more details: “In the past, the City of Ostrava has already invested almost 800 million CZK in the technology park where both startups are based. Three years ago we joined forces with the Moravian-Silesian Region to transform the former Science and Technology Park into today’s Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre (MSIC), strengthening its role in creating an innovation ecosystem for the entire region. This region has often been a tough place to live, so its people have a tradition of hard work combined with bright ideas. They’re capable of taking the smallest stimulus and using it inventively to create something new. And in addition to our local experts, we’re also keen to attract experienced professionals from abroad. As part of our attempts to encourage talented people to move here, this year we have set up the Expat Centre, which liaises via the MSIC with numerous startups and other innovative businesses. The prizes awarded to these two startups from our region prove that we have taken the right decisions.”
CTPark Ostrava has welcomed a new arrival
The latest new tenant at the CTPark Ostrava industrial park is the Czech company Škoda Vagonka, which specializes in the production of rail vehicles as well as servicing, repairs and modernizations.
The company is leasing almost 4 700 m² of warehouse and office space. Its main motivation for choosing CTPark Ostrava was a combination of an excellent rent price with the park’s strategic location. CTPark Ostrava now has 75 tenants and is expanding its operations to another municipal district – Poruba – in an attempt to meet constantly rising demand for industrial premises in Ostrava.
Markéta Vrbasová from BNP Paribas Real Estate described Ostrava’s booming investment scene: “During 2019, Ostrava became a popular location not only for manufacturers, but also for developers locating their projects here. These include GLP, P3 and Contera.”
How to generate international business?
The CzechTrade agency – a key partner for Czech export companies – has issued a set of practical tips for dealing with companies in other countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The managers of the agency’s branches in various countries have presented the current situation in their local markets: the working practices that employees are now used to, what type of communication companies prefer, which sectors are experiencing tough times and which sectors are growing.
The tips for setting up contacts with potential business partners and developing cooperation cover a range of EU countries (e.g. Germany, Austria, France and Spain) as well as non-EU countries (USA, UK, China, Mexico and more).
More information (only in Czech)
Other news
More projects funded via the City’s public space programme are now complete
A total of six projects have now been completed as part of the City of Ostrava’s 2020 subsidy programme supporting projects that seek to improve the quality of public spaces by involving the local community in their design and implementation. A further three projects of this type are nearing completion. The City has paid out almost 2.5 million CZK in grants to the project organizers during this year.
This funding has enabled a number of great ideas to become a reality: a picnic/barbecue area on the right bank of the Odra River in Stará Bělá, a country-style garden built to a historical design in Hrušov, a new children’s play area in Svinov, or new benches at the hospice in Výškovice. In Nová Ves, local firefighters and anglers have installed new outdoor furniture at the Pod Bedřiškou fishponds, and in Svinov residents of apartment buildings have joined forces to create a composting facility. Another interesting and unique idea was the restoration of several small historical structures in Hošťálkovice and Slezská Ostrava.
Ostrava is the first Czech representative on Europe’s map of innovative cities
Air pollution is one of the most pressing environmental problems facing the Moravian-Silesian Region. An innovative solution is being developed as part of the Clairo project, which involves planting greenery and regularly monitoring air quality to devise effective ways of tackling air pollution. The project partners include the VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava, which is responsible for measuring the concentrations of pollutants in the air.
Thanks to its innovative concept, the project has received a prestigious grant as part of the EU’s Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) system. Ostrava has thus become the first Czech representative on the European map of innovative projects.
The Clairo project is financed mainly by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and partially also by the City of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region.
Currently a series of webinars (CZ) are being held for schools and the general public; their aim is to raise awareness of urban greenery and its functions as well as showing how each citizen can contribute to air quality improvements in their local community.
Source (only in Czech)
A smart and tasteful form of advertising
Ostrava is experimenting with a new type of advertising display which will be used mainly by municipal organizations and cultural institutions. The displays are interactive; when they do not contain promotional material, they can serve as photo frames for passers-by.
The displays – known as city glasses – are an excellent solution to urban advertising needs while also avoiding the negative aesthetic impact that much advertising has. The “visual smog” that affects many cities – in other words the presence of tasteless and inappropriate advertising in public places – is a key issue for present-day urban planners. As part of Ostrava’s efforts to improve the quality of its public spaces, the City has created the Ostrava 360 (CZ) project, which sets out the rules for advertising in public spaces (based on a City regulation).
The City is well aware that advertising will never disappear from the streets completely, so it is seeking ways of ensuring that more appropriate, modern forms of advertising become the norm.
Source (only in Czech)