Brno to renovate its Romany neighbourhood

Brno City Hall wants to invest 311 million crowns into the renovation of the Cejl neighbourhood, where mostly Romanies live, Oliver Pospisil, Brno deputy mayor, told journalists today.

The city is to receive a EU subsidy of 159 million crowns and pay the rest.

Houses are to be reconstructed, mainly getting new roofs, windows and insulation, and new parks, playgrounds and public areas are to be built in the area.

Within the project, NGOs are to prepare various retraining courses for the locals.

According to estimates, some 5000 Romanies live in Brno, most of them in the Cejl area, adjacent to the city centre.

Some politicians proposed to solve the problem of the socially excluded locality by moving the concentrated Romany population into various parts of Brno.

Pospisil rejected such plans. "We want to deal with the problems where they arose," he said.

The City Hall believes that the investment will help the development of the area.