HK calls for the establishment of a specialized parliamentary group for the Construction Act

Prague - The Chamber of Commerce (HK) calls on the government and the opposition to establish a group in the Chamber of Deputies that will deal with the new building law. Although it disagrees with a number of provisions, it still wants the parties to find a compromise that will allow for a faster and higher-quality building process in the country. The Chamber communicated this in its report to ČTK today. The Chamber originally assisted the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) in preparing the law, but criticized it in June. The government approved the law today.

"The current version has many significant changes that would force individuals and companies to endure slow building permits for further years. However, if politicians do not strive to find a solution, there is a risk that the current deplorable state will persist for more years," stated the president of the Czech Chamber of Commerce, Vladimír Dlouhý. According to him, the Chamber is ready to provide its expertise for a possible expert group in the Chamber of Deputies.

According to HK, the new building law does not effectively introduce enforceable deadlines and even doubles them. It points out that, compared to the draft law version from the end of last year, the MMR has abandoned the intention to resolve building permits at the regional level. "Instead, it yielded to municipalities, thus maintaining the system bias of authorities criticized by experts, which is just one of many deviations that make the new building law, which was supposed to solve one of the biggest problems in the country regarding lengthy building permits, merely another amendment," the Chamber further stated.

Among other problems with the new law, it claims, is that it does not improve the situation in the preparation of territorial planning documentation. "The law completely lacks the original key requirement for establishing public interest; the territorial planning process remains in its current outdated form. And despite this, this chapter alone has added dozens of new empty paragraphs compared to the current state," added Hana Landová, chairwoman of the Section for Territorial and Regional Development of HK.

According to the Chamber of Commerce, the building law should be a comprehensible, clear, and readable guide for builders, outlining where they can place a specific type of construction and what requirements the building must meet to be approved. Furthermore, the law should establish a deadline in which the builder receives a decision on their application, as well as clear and transparent penalties for illegal actions. Last but not least, it should provide clear information about who will decide on their application and when.

According to earlier statements from the Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO), the main principles are one procedure before one building authority, integration of the concerned bodies into building authorities, fixed deadlines, measures against inactivity, or an appeal principle, where the superior authority will no longer return the matter for new discussion. The MMR plans for the law to take effect from the spring of next year, with a gradual implementation expected until mid-2023. MMR hopes that the new regulation will shorten the average approval time for larger projects from 5.4 years to one year.

Opposition parties today called on Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (for ANO) to withdraw the building law from today's government meeting. They consider it unprepared and unfocused, claiming it will not expedite the process.

In assessing the new regulation, consulted entities disagree. Some are satisfied despite minor reservations. Others, on the contrary, oppose issues such as the reduction of building authorities or the law's excessive scope, pointing out what they see as inadequate heritage protection.

According to analysts contacted by ČTK, although the new building law is not ideal, it will expedite the process. They note that a significant benefit lies in digitalization, and the expertise of officials at building authorities as well as their sufficient capacity will be crucial. Some believe that certain participants in the process will still have too much say.