The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have announced that they wish to create a new apartment complex in the Košice suburb of Luník IX, infamous for its high levels of poverty & crime.
The new apartment complex is being created in an effort to offer affordable housing to the local, marginalised community. The apartment complex is to cost €634,000 which is to be sourced from EU funds. Each individual apartment is planned to be 60 square metres in size and will cost €52,800 with the Rural Development Ministry believing at least 80% of the tenants should be Roma. The three-storey apartment blocks will utilise energy-efficient materials in an effort to reduce heating costs for residents, as well as sporting modern exterior designs. “These houses are near the city centre, so it is appropriate to have a representative level of architectural design”, said Ministry spokesman Peter Hajnala.
In December of 2013, demolition work began on a multi-level housing complex in nearby Hrebendova Street after residents stripped it back to the bare concrete frame, with windows, railings, and internal wiring being removed. Peter Kopjáka, the designer of the new apartment complex, says he has therefore designed the new dwellings in a way to minimise such thefts. The new development is to be built on Podjavorinská Street and is planned for completion by October 2015.
