Story Summary
The planned multifunctional ice arena in Pardubice – a project led by investor Petr Dědek, majority owner of HC Dynamo Pardubice – has been granted a building permit. The decision is published on the city’s official notice board. The permit covers a main arena intended to host both hockey and large concerts (up to 25,000 spectators for concerts), a training hall, a hotel, a multi-storey car park, a showroom, public parkland and associated transport and servicing infrastructure. The design includes a raised pedestrian platform linking the main arena, training hall and hotel, and two underground levels of parking intended primarily for VIPs and players. The complex will also house offices, short-term player accommodation, a museum and HC Dynamo fanshop, wellness facilities including a pool, gastronomic and retail spaces, storage and technical areas. The investor will meet construction costs running into billions of Czech koruna. The site preparation required handling an existing municipal waste landfill. The project proceeds under a planning agreement with the city that sets construction conditions and allocates responsibilities; Pardubice will not contribute to the arena’s operating costs nor to the remediation of the old landfill. If the investor fails to meet contractual obligations, the agreement provides for sanctions.
Key Facts
- Building permit for the Pardubice multifunctional arena has been issued and is posted on the municipal official notice board.
- Investor and project developer is a company associated with Petr Dědek, the majority owner of HC Dynamo Pardubice.
- Arena design includes a main oval-plan arena with stands surrounding the ice surface.
- Arena capacity for concerts is stated as up to 25,000 visitors.
- Permit covers a main arena, training hall, hotel, multi-storey car park, showroom, public park and transport/servicing roads.
- A raised pedestrian platform will connect the arena, training hall and hotel.
- Facilities listed include player and performer areas, spectator spaces, gastronomy, storage, technical spaces, offices, short-term accommodation, a pool and wellness area, shops, museum and an HC Dynamo fanshop.
- Two underground levels of parking are planned, prioritised for VIP visitors and players, plus spaces for technical infrastructure.
- Investor will pay construction costs described as “billions” of Czech koruna.
- Construction required addressing an on-site municipal waste landfill.
- Project is governed by a planning agreement between the investor and the city, which sets conditions and divides obligations.
- Under the planning agreement, the city will not pay for the arena’s operation or for remediation of the old landfill; sanctions apply if investor obligations are not met.
IHM Discussion
The building permit marks a formal administrative milestone for a project that bundles elite sport infrastructure with broader commercial and public uses. For HC Dynamo Pardubice the scheme promises a significant upgrade in facilities: a main arena, a dedicated training hall, short-term accommodation for players, and on-site wellness and recovery spaces all suggest a consolidation of match, training and player services within a single complex. The inclusion of a museum and fanshop signals an intention to create a year-round venue for the club’s brand, while the hotel, retail and concert capacity point to diversified revenue streams beyond gate receipts.
From an urban planning and delivery standpoint the planning agreement is a central control mechanism. It both clarifies the investor’s responsibilities and protects the city from long-term operational exposure: Pardubice explicitly will not subsidise arena operations or pay for the old landfill’s remediation. That allocation shifts commercial and environmental risk to the investor and may tighten the timetable and conditions attached to practical completion. The source makes clear the site preparation already required intervention on a municipal waste deposit, underlining the logistical and cost challenges the developer must manage before vertical construction begins.
The project’s scale – with concert capacity cited at 25,000 – places it in a different league to typical domestic hockey arenas and makes it attractive to promoters. The planning agreement’s sanction provisions give the city a lever to enforce milestones, but they do not eliminate the commercial risk that comes with building and filling a large new venue in a regional city.
Why It Matters
For Dynamo, the arena could materially change the club’s commercial profile and day-to-day operations. On a practical level, on-site training facilities and short-term player accommodation reduce travel friction for players and staff and create consolidated recovery and preparation spaces.
For the city, the contract structure matters: Pardubice has avoided taking on operating costs or responsibility for landfill remediation, which limits immediate municipal exposure but places delivery risk squarely with the investor. The presence of substantial concert capacity offers potential cultural and economic gains, but these depend on successful programming and promoter interest. Finally, the need to remediate the landfill highlights environmental and logistical issues that are part of the project’s upfront cost and schedule.
Mini Q&A
What exactly did the city approve?
The municipal building permit covers a multifunctional complex at Nová Cihelna: the main arena, a training hall, hotel, multi-storey car park, showroom, public parkland, transport and servicing roads, two underground parking levels and associated technical and storage spaces.
Who is behind the project?
The project is being prepared by a company connected to Petr Dědek, who is the majority owner of HC Dynamo Pardubice.
Will Pardubice pay for the arena’s operation or clean up the old landfill?
No. Under the planning agreement, the city will not contribute to the arena’s operating costs or to remediation of the old municipal landfill. Sanctions may apply if the investor does not meet its obligations.
Coach Mark Comment
From a coaching and operational standpoint, having the main arena, training hall and player facilities in one complex could be a real asset. A dedicated training hall would give the club additional ice access away from the main event space, while on-site accommodation and wellness facilities could simplify routines around training and recovery. The operational priority will be ensuring those facilities support the team’s daily needs as the wider venue hosts different events.
What Comes Next
The planning agreement sets obligations for the investor and allows for sanctions if those commitments are not met.
IHM Final View
The building permit gives the project formal momentum. The scheme combines hockey infrastructure, hospitality and large-scale event capacity and could reshape HC Dynamo’s facilities and the city’s event offering, provided the investor can manage the landfill work and the commercial demands of a project of this scale. The planning agreement protects Pardubice from operating costs and landfill-remediation costs, while sanction clauses provide safeguards if obligations are not met.