The proposal for the Building Act will face attempts at rejection

Prague – The new construction law is heading to its final reading in the Chamber of Deputies after today. MPs have raised dozens of amendment proposals on it. They are likely to decide on these along with the entire law at the next session, which will begin in April. It will face a proposal for rejection made by the Pirates. Today, individual MPs made about eighty amendment proposals to the construction law.

The Chamber previously decided that the basis for discussion would not be the original government proposal, but a comprehensive amendment proposal from the Chamber's Economic Committee, which aims to introduce a purely state model of construction administration. Authorities and their officials would come under the state. The government, on the other hand, proposed a hybrid model, stemming from last year's agreement between Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for ANO) and the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic. The law was supposed to maintain construction offices at the municipal level.

The proposal for rejection was raised by Pirate MP Lukáš Černohorský. He noted that he does not believe that the government proposal can be amended in any way.

According to the Economic Committee's proposal, the construction administration would be led by the Highest Building Authority as a central administrative office with nationwide jurisdiction, not subordinate to any ministry, which would ensure not only decision-making practices but also personnel, economic, and property operations of the state construction administration and the electronic processing of construction tasks. In addition to it, the system would consist of specialized and appellate construction offices and regional construction offices.

Regional construction offices would be able to establish territorial workplaces. According to Minister Dostálová, construction offices could remain where they are today, and they would be territorial workplaces of the regional construction authority. The minister said today before the MPs that she is holding several negotiations with mayors so that the offices can continue to operate in their current premises. She previously stated that officials could mutually assist each other at those offices where multiple plans converge.

Many opposition MPs disapprove of the proposal for a purely state construction administration. They criticize, for instance, that it goes against last year's agreement between the Ministry for Regional Development and the Union of Towns and Municipalities. They also claim that this would move construction offices further away from citizens. For example, according to Věra Kovářová (STAN), this would eliminate 400 municipal offices. Therefore, in various variants, she proposes that construction offices in municipalities be mandated directly by law according to defined criteria, and that it not be left to the discretion of the Highest Building Authority.

In response to the MPs' criticisms, Dostálová among other things said that the municipality would always be a participant in the building procedure. She assured that no new officials would enter the system, they would not be moving to another office, and data would circulate instead of people.

Social Democrat Petr Dolínek wants to insert provisions into the construction law concerning so-called blue-green infrastructure. This refers to structures, facilities, or measures used for managing runoff water, for its drainage, and for limiting the impacts of warming and drought, and which can also serve as a protection against floods. This can also refer to vegetation and water elements placed in connection with the intention on a plot or building,

A similar proposal was submitted directly by Minister Dostálová in collaboration with Dolínek and Leo Luzar (KSČM). The law is to introduce the concept of green infrastructure. It is to be explicitly mentioned as a system that addresses spatial planning documentation.

Jan Richter from ANO wants to include parking spaces for recreational vehicles and caravans among simple constructions. This, according to him, is meant to support tourism.

The Economic Committee will meet once more to issue its recommendations on all the proposals.