Kladno will not manage to approve the new zoning plan this year

Kladno - Kladno will not be able to approve the new zoning plan this year; the reason is the resolution of additional objections that were submitted after the second public discussion in October. The objections concerned, for example, the use of undeveloped land near Štechova Street. According to the city hall spokesperson Vilém Frček, the delay will not cause any complications for the city, even though the construction ban, which was intended to prevent the construction of new legal hostels and which was supposed to be replaced by the new zoning plan, will no longer be in effect in January. The city primarily faces issues with illegal hostels, which the zoning plan does not address, Frček told ČTK today.
    The plan was supposed to be approved last year; the delay was also caused by amendments to the building law and changes in the terminology of the civil code. The next deadline for the council members to approve the plan was the second half of this year, as the declared construction ban is valid until December 31. Former mayor Dan Jiránek (ODS) stated in June that if the council members failed to approve the new zoning plan this year, hostels could be built in the city again from next year. There are about 40 legal hostels in the city, but only about five of them are problematic. "The major problems are with the illegal ones, which the city learns about only based on citizens' reports," said the city hall spokesperson.
    According to him, the city is generally trying to prevent the emergence of hostels by all legal means, but the options are limited. This includes increased activity from guards and crime prevention officers. Proposed solutions aimed at preventing the operation of illegal hostels include verifiable housing benefit controls and the establishment of a nationwide registry of offenses and effective penalties.
    Central Bohemian cities are opting for the declaration of a construction ban due to its significantly faster approval compared to the zoning plan, which usually takes years. In addition to Kladno, the ban is also in effect in Kolín. Rakovník has been negotiating since last December about declaring a construction ban that should prevent a hostel from being established in the area of the abandoned barracks.