The council of Prague did not approve the amendment to the Prague Building Regulations

Prague - Prague will not yet amend the Prague Building Regulations (PSP). According to the proposal that was not approved by the council today, the requirement for so-called sunlight exposure in apartments was to be eliminated, which states that direct sunlight must reach one-third of the floor area for 90 minutes on March 1st. Only council members from the ANO movement voted for the proposal, while the mayor stated that she would present the same amendment again at the next council meeting. According to Deputy Mayor Petra Kolínská (Greens/Trojkoalice), a broader amendment should be created in the future. The Trojkoalice criticized the complete removal of the sunlight requirement.

The PSP has been in effect since August 1, 2016, and as an implementing regulation to the Building Act, it sets technical and other requirements for buildings in the metropolis. The proposal to abolish sunlight exposure was particularly promoted by the City Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), which stated that it was set unreasonably strictly and forced architects to design buildings of odd shapes to meet the standard. According to the IPR, with the exception of Slovakia, the sunlight requirement is not found abroad in a form similar to that in the Czech Republic.

The sunlight exposure requirement for apartments was intended to be replaced by an extended regulation on daylight, under which all living rooms must have windows. According to the amendment, the total area of all windows must not be less than one-tenth of the floor area of the room. The proposal supplemented the requirement for sufficient distance between buildings.

The Trojkoalice criticized the amendment, arguing that the protection of sunlight for existing buildings should be maintained. "Owners of sunny apartments are currently protected automatically; after the amendment, they would have to become active participants in the permitting process and defend their rights at the building office," said Deputy Mayor Kolínská in this regard. Eight city districts and the main city building office expressed disagreement with the amendment according to the Trojkoalice.

The Trojkoalice did not vote for the proposed amendment today, nor did the council members from the ČSSD. Only the ANO movement, which has five representatives out of eleven on the council, voted for it. "This amendment did not pass; in time, a larger amendment to the PSP should be on the table based on practical experience," Kolínská told ČTK after the vote.

Mayor Krnáčová supported the proposal, arguing that it would simplify housing construction. "This should be a common interest for all those who take the development of the city seriously. I absolutely do not understand the position of the Greens, the Mayors, and some councilors from the ČSSD, for whom the simplification of housing construction is evidently completely irrelevant. I will present the material again at the next meeting," the mayor stated. Given the summer break, the council will not meet again until July 17. They had already rejected the amendment once in April this year.

The building regulations for Prague began to be developed under Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (independent, formerly TOP 09). The wording of the regulations caused a number of disputes, including within the Prague coalition of ANO, ČSSD, and Trojkoalice (SZ, KDU-ČSL, and STAN). After disputes, Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) removed the preparation from her then deputy Matěj Stropnický (SZ/Trojkoalice) and presented a new version for discussion. Eventually, the European Commission notified the mayor's amendment.