Prague, Oct 2 (CTK) – A bench park with 72 benches outside three blocks of flats was built mostly for EU money at the fringes of Mlada Boleslav, central Bohemia, while both locals and town planners frown upon it, daily Lidove noviny (LN) writes Friday.
The pedestrians have a unique chance to sit 72 times on a different bench in a single street, LN writes.
One can hardly find a place with a similar density to have a rest per square metre, it adds.
This is why the locals call it a “bench grove,” LN writes.
The total costs of the revitalisation of the area between the pre-fabricated high-rise buildings at a Communist-era housing project are over 21 million crowns, it adds.
“The project was co-sponsored from the means of the European Regional Development Fund. The subsidy was paid at the level of 85 percent of the expenditures, which means 18 million crowns,” town spokeswoman Hana Koisova is quoted as saying.
The revitalisation included the repair of local communications, a new playground for children and street lights, LN writes.
Except the inhabitants of approximately 200 flats and some visitors, few if any people walk daily along the street in question, it adds.
Koisova warned that the project sustainability was five years. This means that the current state of affairs can only be re-evaluated in 2019, LN writes.
The European project is called the Improvement of Environment at Problem Housing Projects, it adds.
However, locals say that the ill-considered installation of the large number of benches has caused some more trouble, LN writes.
“The homeless and the drug addicts are coming here. One can find the syringes (from the use of drugs) here on a daily basis,” it adds.
“In addition, the people from the first high-rise apartment block situated near a disco complain about the disorder and drunkards who are happy to have a rest on the benches after a night of debauchery,” a local resident is quoted as saying.
When it comes to the locals, few if any ever sit on the benches, she adds.
“It would be better if they were not here,” the woman said.
The town hall argues that the location and number of the benches were guided by the approved project.
After complaints by locals, some benches were removed, but only seemingly, LN writes.
Due to the European finances, new places for them were found a few metres away from the original site.
Urban planners are astonished at the number of the benches, too, LN writes.
“Benches must be installed, but with a certain logic, not at any cost,” a town planner who requested anonymity is quoted as saying.
“Unfortunately, some things are being done that unfortunately make no sense,” she added.
