Dostálová: In Prague, it is mainly necessary to unblock building restrictions

Prague - In Prague, it is primarily necessary to unblock construction bans so that construction can begin. If this does not happen, even the fastest construction proceedings will not improve the situation. This was stated by Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO) on Prima television. Construction proceedings in the capital sometimes take up to 14 years.

"Prague does not have an updated zoning plan, it has construction bans. As long as the construction bans are not removed, no 'fiction of consent', nor the fastest construction proceedings will help. Urban planning needs to be unblocked for construction to proceed," stated Dostálová.

This fall, the Ministry of Regional Development plans partial amendments to the construction law. This mainly concerns the "fiction of consent to a binding statement." Officials should have 30 days to respond during construction proceedings, and in more complex cases, 60 days. If they do not respond within that time, it would mean automatic consent.

"Digitalization is key. It must be such that the builder comes with documentation, submits it to the office, and the documentation circulates, not the builder who has to gather the necessary stamps," said Dostálová. Therefore, a new Builder's Portal is to be created, which will be linked to the land registry. The next step will be the creation of a mapping Geo-portal, which the government could approve in January according to her.

According to the chairman of the Pirates, Ivan Bartoš, it is necessary to streamline and support the development of urban planning at the municipal level. "There are construction bans here. Individual municipalities do not have a concept," he pointed out. He also hopes that the new leadership of the city halls will manage to solve this problem.

In processing building permits, the Czech Republic dropped year-on-year from 127th place to 156th among 190 comparable countries. This is evident from the annual Doing Business report published by the World Bank (WB). In addition to the duration of processing, it also assesses other criteria, such as transparency or the complexity of the entire process. Hong Kong emerged best in the rankings, while Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Syria ranked worst. In the Czech Republic, obtaining the necessary stamps takes 246 days, about four times longer than in Hong Kong. Denmark is the fastest in granting permits with 64 required days.

The new construction law is expected to take effect in spring 2023, as stated in the timetable issued by the Ministry of Regional Development (MMR), which is responsible for preparing the law. The new law is intended to significantly shorten the permitting process. The MMR's ambition is one office, one stamp, one permit.