The parliamentary committee has again suspended the discussion on the amendment to expedite building permit approvals

Prague – The Parliamentary Constitutional and Legal Committee today again interrupted the discussion on the coalition amendment to the building law, which, according to its creators, aims to accelerate and simplify the approval of construction projects. The deputies are waiting for the overall amendment proposal, which, according to Minister for Regional Development Zuzana Mrázová (ANO), is to be received by April 16. The Guarantee Economic Committee is scheduled to meet regarding the building amendment on April 30, with the legal committee meeting a day earlier.

The amendment primarily anticipates the establishment of a central state building administration. It declares mass housing projects as being in the public interest, which could facilitate the expropriation of land. The opposition fears that the changes will not be functional and that some officials from the current building offices under municipalities will not want to work in the state building administration. There are also criticisms that the proposed changes will only strengthen the position of large investors.

The proposal envisions the introduction of the principle of a single building procedure at a single office with a single stamp. Urban planning is to be fully under the jurisdiction of municipalities and regions. Changes to urban plans are supposed to be faster and their refinement simpler according to the amendment.

Municipalities could, according to the proposal, collect compensation from landowners based on a issued regulation if the value of their plots increases due to changes in the urban plan. A condition will be that the owner agrees to the change or requests it themselves.

Mass housing constructions are to be buildings with a total floor area exceeding 10,000 m². However, the amendment is also set to declare schools, sports facilities, public buildings, roads, and bridges as being in the public interest alongside them. The amendment is also intended to limit obstructive lawsuits in the approval of construction projects.