Prague is preparing an amendment to the Prague building regulations

Prague - Prague is preparing an amendment to the Prague Building Regulations (PSP). The requirement for so-called apartment sunlight is to be removed and replaced with a requirement for daylight. This was communicated to ČTK by the director of the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), Ondřej Boháč. Sunlight means that on March 1, direct sunlight must shine into the apartment on one-third of the floor area for 90 minutes. The amendment is set to come into effect in October 2018. The PSP came into force on August 1, 2016, and serves as implementing legislation for the building act, defining requirements for land use and technical requirements for buildings.

According to Boháč, the sunlight requirement is absurd. "Builders are forced to design buildings of bizarre shapes and orientations to meet the standard. This results in odd houses with strange layouts that cannot collectively form a meaningful part of the city," Boháč stated. Apartments that do not comply with the regulation are being approved and sold as studios, while they are actually used for living.

Sunlight is to be replaced by the already valid regulation on daylighting. This means that all living rooms must have windows. According to the draft amendment, the total area of all windows must not be less than 1/10 of the room's floor area. "Apartments will continue to be bright and healthy for living. The sunlight standard does not bring that; it only causes that it is practically impossible to build a nice city," Boháč noted. The daylighting element will also include a requirement for sufficient spacing between buildings.

The PSP allows for the construction of so-called sustainable cities with trees in the streets and new buildings that respect the character of their surroundings. Every new or reconstructed street wider than 12 meters is to have a tree line. Unnecessary underpasses and overpasses should not be created; priority should be given to barrier-free crossings. It will also set height regulations for new buildings.

The wording of the PSP has previously caused a number of disputes, including within the Prague coalition of ANO, ČSSD, and the Three Coalition (SZ, KDU-ČSL, and STAN). After disputes, the mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) removed its preparation from her then-deputy Matěj Stropnický (SZ/Three Coalition) and presented a new version for discussion. The mayor's amendment was eventually notified by the European Commission.