Szikra Movement: This is how the Fórum 2 development can be brought down

Mihály Dombi, president of the Szikra Movement in Debrecen, said at a press conference on Monday that several key elements of the planned Fórum 2 development are essential to the shopping centre project. These include a proposed footbridge and an underground car park, both of which he believes are crucial to the development’s viability.

One of the issues raised by Dombi concerns a residential building whose founding document reportedly grants the police headquarters exclusive use of one of its entrances and the courtyard. According to him, this means residents cannot freely use the entrance or park in the courtyard.

Dombi said that both he and local residents had witnessed demolition debris being transported through this entrance. He suspects that the company contracted by the developer to carry out the construction work obtained permission from the police to use the access point.

Another concern involves access to between eight and ten privately owned garages located behind the residential building at 8 Csapó Street. According to Dombi, the garage owners previously accessed their properties through the plot designated for the Fórum 2 development, under an easement agreement. However, once construction begins and the site is fenced off, this access route will no longer be available.

The Szikra Movement’s Debrecen president said that a new ramp had therefore been constructed to provide access to the garages through the police courtyard. In his view, the police are thus facilitating both the demolition work and the creation of a new access route for the garage owners, indirectly helping the Fórum 2 project move forward.

Dombi announced that the movement had sent a letter to the Hajdú-Bihar County Police Headquarters. They are asking the police not to authorise any further demolition work or the transportation of construction debris related to the development while the criminal investigation remains in its investigative phase and the government office’s review procedure is ongoing. They are also calling on the police not to grant the developer any additional easement rights.

According to Dombi, the interests of the garage owners could be protected in other ways, as the area remains accessible from Csapó Street.

He expressed hope that the ongoing investigations could eventually result in the plot on Csapó Street being returned to municipal ownership. He believes that, in such a case, public consultation should be launched to determine the future of this valuable site in the city centre. Possible uses could include a public park, a student residence or another facility that would better serve the interests of Debrecen residents, he suggested.

Asked whether the project could fail if the planned footbridge is not built, Dombi gave an unequivocal yes. He argued that the bridge is one of the key components of the shopping centre’s operation, as without it, separate restaurant facilities, storage space and information services would also have to be provided.

He also identified the underground car park as a controversial element of the development, arguing that it would increase traffic in the city centre. The Szikra Movement opposes this aspect of the project as well.

Dombi further claimed that every square metre of the Fórum 2 development site is, in some way, connected to public assets. One of the buildings previously served as a nursery operated by the Ministry of the Interior, the footbridge was transferred from public to private ownership, and the larger plot was acquired through a property exchange.

Regarding the possibility of reversing the municipal leadership’s decisions concerning the development, Dombi said he was primarily relying on the procedures conducted by the supervisory authorities. He believes the government office must examine the case and hopes it will give their submission proper consideration.