Towns and environmentalists welcome the unapproved construction amendment, developers and entrepreneurs do not

Prague – Representatives of local governments and environmentalists welcome the fact that senators did not adopt the amendment to the building law. On the contrary, developers and construction entrepreneurs see it as bad news. According to builders, the current form of the change, which aims to introduce a centralized state building administration and speed up the building process, should be approved by the Chamber of Deputies as soon as possible. For example, designers expect that deputies will override the senators' decision; according to architects, the change in the law could ultimately lead to improved quality and faster construction. Representatives of professional associations communicated this to ČTK.

The amendment primarily establishes a centralized network of state building authorities. One combined building procedure led by a single authority and concluded with one stamp should be sufficient for obtaining a construction permit. Many of the experts contacted, like the senators, were bothered by the fact that such a fundamental change in building law was presented in the form of a legislative proposal and did not undergo the standard comment process. At the same time, the draft was not in ideal condition and contradicted some valid regulations.

The Senate's rejection of the amendment is not seen by the Association of Local Governments as a block to faster construction, but as a safeguard against a poorly prepared reform. According to the chairman of the association, Petr Halada, deputies should respect the objections of the upper chamber. A better solution should be prepared that undergoes the proper legislative process, he believes. "The length of procedures is often a consequence of problems that this amendment itself will not resolve – the lack of qualified officials, expertise, or still inadequately functioning digitalization," Halada said.

According to architect Eva Vinklárková from the environmental association Arnika, the Senate rejected a proposal that would represent the most significant weakening of nature and cultural heritage protection since the Velvet Revolution. The Chamber of Deputies should do the same, in her view. "Under the pretext of speeding up construction, the rules would be changed so that large development projects would have an easier path to approval, while the state's, municipalities', and citizens' ability to defend public interests and their rights would be significantly compromised," she added.

The president of the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians in Construction (ČKAIT), Robert Špalek, also acknowledged that including large residential projects over 10,000 m² among reserved buildings only favors a certain group of builders. According to Jan Kasl, the chairman of the Czech Chamber of Architects, which previously objected to the amendment alongside ČKAIT, the current system of building authorities does not work well. After builders learn to work with the change in the system and refine some inaccuracies or mistakes, the amendment will be beneficial according to Kasl.

Czech building law, according to the Secretary-General of the Association of Developers, Zdeněk Soudný, requires a fundamental change, not another delay. Therefore, the Chamber of Deputies should reapprove the amendment as soon as possible, he believes. Possible adjustments can be addressed and refined subsequently.

Similarly, Jiří Nouza, the president of the Union of Construction Entrepreneurs, expressed his opinion. According to him, deputies should not change the basic concept that the amendment brings. "The worst scenario would not be an amendment that needs to be further refined in detail, but another delay in the actual reform of building permits. The Czech economy, municipalities, builders, and people waiting for housing need a predictable and faster system," Nouza stated.