Today, the public consultation on the new construction law will end

Prague - Tonight at midnight, the public comment period for the new building law will end, which, according to the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR), aims to accelerate and simplify the construction permitting process. The regulation is planned to come into force in 2021 according to the government's plan. However, the draft law has faced criticism, being rejected by the largest Czech cities, firefighters, heritage protectors, and environmentalists, and some officials from the MMR have also spoken out against it. Critics argue that the wording of the law was prepared by the Chamber of Commerce and that the regulation is tailored to developers.

The permitting process for constructions, according to the new law, is expected to be reduced from the current average of 5.4 years to one year. Experts suggest this figure primarily concerns larger development projects; for example, obtaining permission for a family house usually takes much less time. According to critics, the law favors developers, disregards public interests such as nature protection, and opens doors to corruption.

The draft law proposes that territorial proceedings, building proceedings, and environmental impact assessments (EIA) be merged into a single permitting process. An important component, according to the MMR, is the digitization of building procedures from urban planning documents through a digital technical map, construction project documentation, to an electronic file of building offices.

Firefighters have opposed the draft law, fearing a significant diminishing of the importance of fire supervision, which would threaten safety. According to firefighters, the new law risks that fire safety evaluations of planned projects would not be conducted by experts, but by individuals with minimal practical experience.

According to the Czech National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the draft law resigns on the protection of public interests in safeguarding cultural and natural heritage, favoring the one-sided interests of the construction lobby. Heritage experts believe the law is so flawed that it cannot be amended with partial adjustments.

The Ministry of the Interior also opposes the draft law, as it dislikes the planned transfer of officials who grant building permits from municipalities to the state. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the costs associated with the transfer of 13,500 officials and files would reach 32 billion crowns.

Experts from the MMR's Department of Urban Planning sent a letter to Dostálová in October, criticizing the draft. They believe that some parts of the law are in conflict with the law's goal of accelerating and simplifying construction proceedings.

The five largest Czech cities also oppose the law, stating that the regulation in its current form restricts their rights. They are particularly concerned about the limitation of local governments' influence on urban planning. Representatives of Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, and Liberec met last week with Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO) to express their objections, according to Deník N.

Criticism is also directed at the very process of the law's creation. The material was originally prepared by a law firm hired by the Chamber of Commerce. After criticism, Dostálová had a new version prepared by officials from more ministries, but the version sent for public comments did not include these bureaucratic adjustments.

The government approved the substantive proposal for the new building law in June, which is meant to come into effect in 2021, which some experts believe is unrealistic.