The draft building law that the government will discuss is provoking criticism

Prague - The amendment to the building law, which the government will discuss on Wednesday, is provoking criticism across the construction industry. The new law is intended to simplify the construction process, but the changes proposed by the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) are not appreciated by developers or large cities, as noted today at the Development Leaders' Meeting in Prague. Concerns were also expressed by the Construction Business Association and the Czech Chamber of Architects, who, in a written appeal, are calling for amendments and a postponement of the amendment, as stated in the invitation to Tuesday's meeting with the media.

The new building law was prepared by the former government of Andrej Babiš (ANO) and was approved by the Chamber of Deputies last summer despite a Senate veto. The new cabinet of Petr Fiala (ODS) has indicated that it will make changes and this year pushed for a one-year delay in the effectiveness of key sections of the law. The amendment is set to abolish the establishment of the Supreme Building Office and its new subordinate regional building offices, while according to the MMR, it will maintain some offices under municipalities, with the number to be decided by the government from the proposed options.

From the middle of next year, a Specialized and Appellate Building Office will start operating, which will be responsible for large infrastructure projects, such as highways, national railways, or power plants. Other constructions will be subject to permitting under existing regulations until June 30, 2024. The digitalization of the construction process is expected to be launched on January 1, 2024, after a six-month delay.

Major developers are particularly annoyed that no one has discussed the shape of the amendments to the law with them. "The accepted building law underwent a broad discussion with the public, we were consulted and knew where the law was heading. Now we are being ignored," said Jan Řežáb, owner and founder of JRD, at today's Development Leaders' Meeting. "There will never be universal agreement, but we need foresight, and when we don't know what and how it will be, it is a catastrophic situation," said Dušan Kunovský, head of the development company Central Group, last week at a press conference on housing prices.

The director of the building code department, Žanet Hadzić, stated today that the amendment went through the standard process of comments, which were addressed before the proposal went to the government. According to the Minister for Regional Development and Vice Prime Minister for Digitalization Ivan Bartoš (Pirates), this is how the legislative process begins. "I believe that the building law will achieve its ambitions and speed up the permitting of constructions, and provide the legal certainty that builders need," said the minister.

The Construction Business Association wants to present its objections to the amendment to journalists on Tuesday, along with other critics. According to representatives of the association, the amendment complicates the law instead. "Representatives of professional chambers, associations, unions, and large cities are calling for amendments and a postponement of the proposed substantive amendment. However, the government is ignoring this initiative, including a written appeal addressed to the Prime Minister and ministers, which emphasizes the negative impact of the submitted amendment on the severely tested economy," the association wrote.

The amendment is also a thorn in the side of large cities, led by Prague. The director of the Institute of Planning and Development of the capital city of Prague, Ondřej Boháč, described it as a step backward by ten years. "Cities are a key environment for construction and this was not discussed at all with the cities," he said. He added that the creation of the law should take into account what hinders quality construction, not what bothers the ministry.