The Chamber approved the amendment to the Building Act, overriding the Senate

Prague - A new amendment to the building law, which was adopted today by the Chamber of Deputies, will allow the placement of buildings in undeveloped parts of municipalities that do not have a developed zoning plan. Under the existing law, this was not possible. The deputies overruled the Senate, which objected to the amendment specifying which buildings could be constructed in these locations. The senators thus proposed to generalize this list and maintain approvals for construction through zoning procedures. However, the Chamber leaned towards the original version from the Chamber of Deputies today. The amendment will now go directly to the president for signature.
    The issue concerns about 2800 municipalities, most of which have no more than 1000 inhabitants. According to the adopted transitional provision, it will be possible to build in these places until 2015, for example, residential buildings or public utility constructions. However, these must border on land within developed areas. Agricultural buildings for permanent residence with a maximum of three separate apartments will also be permitted.
    Building this way will only be possible with the consent of the municipal council. The consent may also include conditions for the placement of the building.
    The amendment is also intended to simplify the approval process for groups of buildings. For instance, if a builder is constructing a family house and a garage next to it simultaneously, the building office will process it through a single permit. According to the new regulation, municipalities will also replace developed zoning plans not in a five-year but in a nine-year period. This is expected to help them save money.
    The regulation is also designed to facilitate the construction of fences. For example, a building permit is now required for all fences taller than 1.8 meters that border public spaces, and these fences could not be built by the owner themselves. This will no longer be necessary.