<Hospodářská komora prosazuje schválení novely stavebního zákona> translates to <The Chamber of Commerce advocates for the approval of the amendment to the building law>

Prague - The Czech Chamber of Commerce (HK) supports the fastest possible approval of the amendment to the building act. Although it has some reservations, it considers the current state to be unsustainable. This was stated today at a press conference by the chamber's vice president, Irena Bartoňová Pálková. The amendment is scheduled to be discussed by the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday in its third reading. About one hundred amendments have been incorporated into the amendment, which aims primarily to expedite the construction process. HK agrees with most of them.

"The amendment is not ideal, however, it will help us in many ways to increase the desired speed. Therefore, we support its expedited adoption. We have reservations, but the current state is already unsustainable," stated Bartoňová Pálková. According to her, the Chamber of Commerce selected 72 amendments that closely concern its members, primarily entrepreneurs. Of these, 62 fully support, five are neutral, and they disagree with the remaining five.

"We have perhaps the biggest reservations about how linear constructions such as highways or railways are addressed. They constitute a significant support for business in the Czech Republic. The government included in its program statement that it would adopt a separate law on linear constructions. And in the end, it addressed this through individual fragments in the amendment to the building act. We consider this to be unconceptual," the vice president added.

The Chamber of Commerce is also dissatisfied that when assessing the impact of buildings on surrounding buildings, such as shading, only height is to be taken into account. Width and other parameters also have an influence. "We also disagree with the fact that building permits should be valid for a maximum of five years. Now it is for two years, but a builder can apply for an extension three times," continued Bartoňová Pálková.

The amendment to the building act aims to merge zoning decisions, building permits, and EIA (assessment of the impact of constructions on the environment). According to HK, a major deficiency is that water structures, such as the construction of water supply lines, are not included in the coordinated procedure. This remains within the competence of the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to the chamber, it is also necessary to start working as quickly as possible on a completely new building act. "We propose to finally approve the amendment. However, building legislation needs to be set anew from the beginning. With the understanding that the levels of both permitting and zoning planning will be reduced. The entire system of affected bodies of state administration must undergo decisive reduction, as it is unreasonable to expect builders to secure binding opinions from forty of its bodies," stated HK Vice President Michal Štefl.

According to him, large transport constructions in neighboring Germany or Austria are approved up to ten years faster. "There, it usually does not seem that strange to us. But if permitting can be faster in Poland, Slovakia, or Hungary, I do not understand why it should not be possible here," Štefl added.