MMR does not consider the method of amending Prague's regulations to be correct

Prague - The leadership of Prague is likely to be unsuccessful with the so-called dual amendment of the Prague Building Regulations (PSP). A letter that the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) sent to the city hall indicates that MMR does not consider the intended technical and substantive amendment to be a "suitable solution." ČTK learned this from the document that the city council discussed today. In its resolution, the council acknowledged the ministry's letter but did not adopt a specific stance. They also discussed and acknowledged the comments from city districts regarding the amendment of the regulations.
    The effectiveness of the PSP has been suspended due to several objections from MMR. For example, it was displeased that the regulations were not communicated to the European Commission.
    Prague has therefore decided to amend them in two ways - through a technical and substantive amendment. However, even that does not please the ministry. "From the perspective of legal certainty and the acquired rights of the subjects affected by the resulting situation... it does not seem appropriate to address the situation with a dual amendment of the Prague Building Regulations," the letter from MMR states. According to the ministry, it is undesirable for the legal environment to constantly change.
    Prague councilors did not adopt a clear stance on the letter today and merely took note of it. Similarly, they accepted the comments from the city districts that the city hall had sent regarding part of the technical amendment. The officials will now evaluate the comments and either incorporate them into the amendment or reject them.
    The opposition criticizes the city's leadership. According to former mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS), the city will have to develop entirely new regulations. "It is clear that the main city continues its antics with building regulations. There will be no technical amendment, and the city will thus have to create a completely new document," stated Svoboda, who also criticized the approved and suspended wording of the regulations.
    As part of the amendment, the city leadership intends to replace the sections that the ministry criticized with references to generally applicable regulations. In the context of the substantive amendment, it then wants to modify and expand certain parts of the document, in which, for example, it will enhance the protection of greenery or tighten the regulation of advertising.
    The building regulations, which are an implementing regulation of the Building Act, were approved by the previous city council in the summer under the leadership of then-mayor Tomáš Hudeček. Before they came into effect in October, they sparked a heated debate. The billboard lobby initiated a strong media campaign against them because it disagreed with the advertising regulation that the regulations impose. The ministry subsequently came up with comments and requested an adjustment of the regulations from Prague.