The novel building law is said to prolong the approval of constructions

Prague - The amendment to the building law, effective from this year, extends the approval process for construction and insufficiently defines the powers of designers and investors, according to builders. Experts criticize mainly the expanded participation of the public in the next round of the approval process and the extension of the deadline for agencies' responses by up to two months.
    "The amendment to the building law particularly affects builders. For them, the complication is the expanded participation of so-called affected public, which is known for its obstructive behavior during construction approvals. The preparation time for construction can thus be disproportionately extended, for transportation construction up to ten years," emphasized the main shortcoming of the amendment by the President of the Association of Entrepreneurs in Construction in the Czech Republic Václav Matyáš.
    Vladimir Svoboda from Interplan-CZ, which is among the specialists in project and engineering preparation for construction, also points out the problematic extension of response deadlines. "We consider the extension of the deadline for agency responses by up to 60 days to be the most problematic area. This will lead to an even greater slowdown of an already protracted approval process. These obstructions have a negative impact on alleviating the recession in construction," claims Svoboda, according to whom the new legal regulation practically causes only confusion and problems.
    These must be dealt with by the construction supervision, whose powers are not clearly defined. According to Pavel Křeček from the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Engaged in Construction, the amendment to the building law did not establish definitions for the technical supervision of the investor and the author's supervision of the designer. "At the same time, it neglected to define the scope of their powers. This obviously complicates the applicability of the amendment in practice. Both activities can significantly influence public interests in construction, particularly regarding the protection of life, health, the environment, and occupational safety," Křeček pointed out.
    The amendment to the building law, which came into effect on January 1 of this year, was supposed to clarify and simplify individual procedures, eliminate deviations from the administrative code, and reduce administrative burdens in planning constructions. However, practice has shown according to builders that this has not occurred.