With the end of the ten-year period when Czech citizens could claim properties with unclear ownership, Czech towns and regions are seeing potential progress in their development projects. Over a hundred thousand properties and buildings have subsequently fallen into state hands, and in due time, these could end up in the possession of the towns that need them for further development.
Towns across the Republic are turning to the Office for Representation of the State in Property Affairs with requests to transfer land whose owners have not been sufficiently identified. For towns and villages, the forfeiture of these lands presents a significant opportunity to complete long-planned projects, ranging from minor renovations to major infrastructure construction.
A prime example of a settlement awaiting the resolution of ownership is Velká nad Veličkou. The town hall of this South Moravian town at the foot of the White Carpathians started contemplating the construction of cycle paths as early as 2007 and definitively confirmed their plan in the last electoral term.
However, similar cases are abundant in the Czech Republic. For instance, lands with unclear owners are also needed in Moravské Bránice for a cycle path. In Vrbně nad Lesy, there are plans to build a parking lot, and the Central Bohemian Region has requested a plot in Zdislavice near Vlašim to construct a roundabout.
The timeline for these properties to end up in the possession of the municipalities is unclear. The state office had recorded 107,824 properties with unidentified owners at the beginning of February, and it must comply with the law and first offer them to other state institutions.