<hřib> criticized <dostálová> over the construction law, she rejected it

Prague - Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO) during the discussion of the construction law, which is being approved by the Chamber today, did not take into account the demands of large cities and the Association of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic (SMO), despite promising to do so. Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) told journalists today. He and other representatives of local governments are demanding, for example, that the approval of spatial plans be fully under the control of the city. Dostálová rejected the criticism.

The Chamber has been discussing the bill since the beginning of March. The deputies today continue with the final approval that they did not complete on Wednesday. A number of amendments were proposed to the bill from the Ministry for Regional Development, some of which include demands from cities and municipalities. In addition to control over the preparation of spatial plans and the possibility to complete the currently approved ones, they demand the possibility for cities to approve their own building regulations, a stronger role for local governments in permitting constructions, or the preservation of building authorities in municipal offices.

According to Hřib, Dostálová promised to accommodate cities and municipalities, but did not do so. Hřib stated that he was surprised by the minister's speech in the Chamber, in which she rejected assigning spatial planning to municipalities as well as maintaining a mixed model of state administration, where construction authorities fall under the state but are organizationally under municipal offices. "It was a unique double betrayal of local governments from her," he said.

"I absolutely reject the words of the mayor that I violated the promise given to cities. Unfortunately, it is evident in the statements of the mayor that he is not well oriented in the issues or in long-term agreements," Dostálová said in response. She stated that the amendment to transfer the preparation of spatial plans to the independent powers of municipalities was prepared by large cities led by Prague, and that the proposal does not address the issue of small towns and municipalities, which would have difficulty financing the preparation of plans.

Regarding spatial plans, it is currently the case that their preparation is managed, for example, in Prague by the Department of Urban Development of the City Hall, which falls under the so-called delegated powers of state administration, and politicians have no control over it. Prague and other cities demand that the preparation newly fall under the so-called independent powers, which would allow the city that has the greatest interest in preparing the plan to speed up and streamline the process.

"The point is that the preparation is actually managed by the city, of course in accordance with the law," explained Ondřej Boháč, Director of the Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR). Hřib added that the SMO approved a resolution stating that both options should be possible, so that the state could ensure plans for small municipalities that would not be interested in their own preparation. Prague has been preparing its new spatial plan since 2013, its completion has been postponed several times, and it is now expected to be valid from 2023. A new plan is also being prepared by Brno, for example.

According to the minister, it is not possible to fully transfer the powers to municipalities while simultaneously allowing the state to prepare plans for smaller municipalities. "If cities want independent powers, they MUST apply to all uniformly and MUST finance it themselves. That is the essence of independent powers. I do not understand the surprise," she stated.

She added that the ministry could only support municipalities with existing grant titles, but this is not a systematic solution. According to her, the resolution of the SMO states that the association does not agree with the transfer to independent powers unless the provision of financing for this agenda for small municipalities and cities is guaranteed. The amendment proposed by deputies Martin Kolovratník (ANO) and Petr Dolínek (CSSD), which suggests the change, does not provide this guarantee and therefore she could not support it.

Hřib was also criticized today by Ondřej Prokop, the vice-chairman of the ANO club in the Prague Assembly. According to him, the new law will allow for faster and more efficient approvals of new apartment buildings, as well as the change and re-commissioning of old unused offices into apartments. "Mayor Hřib even voted in the association for delaying the discussion of the recodification until 2022 after the parliamentary elections. For the uninformed, this would mean an unprecedented threat to the functioning of Prague, because the current spatial plan will expire in 2022, and without the adoption of the recodification, development in Prague will come to a complete halt after 2022," he stated.

The construction law has been in preparation for several years and raises disputes. The Ministry for Regional Development expects faster approvals for large constructions, among others. Objections have also been raised by the Ministry of Culture, as well as civic and environmental associations.