Opposition jointly proposes changes to the amendment of the building law

Prague – Five opposition parties are jointly proposing changes to the amendment of the building law. They aim to strengthen the digitalization of building permits as well as the role of self-governments. Representatives from ODS, Pirates, TOP 09, KDU-ČSL, and STAN stated this at a joint press conference in the Chamber of Deputies today.

The government expects the amendment, which was discussed by deputies at the beginning of November and is now being evaluated by parliamentary committees, to primarily speed up and simplify the process of granting building permits. However, the law has faced criticism from the Chamber of Commerce, major cities, and parts of the opposition. Opposition politicians advocated for the government to revise the law, while coalition deputies from ANO and ČSSD, as well as opposition parties KSČM and SPD, opposed this.

According to ODS Deputy Chairman Martin Kupka, the opposition's proposal will simplify and accelerate the building law. He also emphasized that the opposition rejects the new "megabuilding office," suggesting that the law should be cheaper. "We are building on digitalization, simplifying processes, and ensuring that current offices can communicate easily with each other through digitalization and secure the necessary permits in shorter timeframes," he said.

Pirate Party Chairman Ivan Bartoš stated that the opposition wants to present a vision of modern construction law through the amendment. Therefore, they want to achieve the digitalization of the entire building process and the relevant documentation. "So that citizens or builders, offices, as well as concerned authorities that manage a part of the agenda or have utility networks in the country, can handle the entire building process at one place not with stamps, but with one click," he said.

According to Bartoš, the proposal also aims to strengthen the role of self-governments and give the largest cities in the Czech Republic the option to create special building regulations. Deputy Dominik Feri (TOP 09) mentioned that cities like Prague, Brno, and Ostrava could issue their own city building regulations. He is convinced that self-governments best know their areas and are capable of formulating their requirements for land development. He added that the opposition is also clarifying formulations concerning expropriation.

Deputy Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL) stated that the amendment will be citizen-friendly. "By enhancing the builder's portal, we allow people to handle their building process from their residence," he said. At the same time, it will still be possible to handle the agenda "in reasonable accessibility" at the building office. According to him, the opposition proposal will mean that simpler constructions will receive building permits within a maximum of 60 days, while more complex ones will take 120 days.

Deputy Věra Kovářová (STAN) mentioned that the amendment will save 24 billion crowns, as it proposes keeping building offices at their current locations within municipalities, cities, or regions. This will save money on relocating up to 13,500 officials, she noted.