The amendment to the building law is heading for approval in the Chamber of Deputies

source: www.karelrais.cz

Prague - The Chamber of Deputies today passed the amendment to the construction law into the third reading, which aims to simplify the permitting process. It will allow for the merging of the currently separate zoning proceedings, construction proceedings, and environmental impact assessments, known as EIA. About a hundred amendments from individual deputies and parliamentary committees are also moving toward the third reading with the amendment. However, many of them overlap. Deputies will decide on them when approving the amendment, likely in March. The bill changes 43 related laws.

Minister for Regional Development Karla Šlechtová (ANO) told deputies today that the ministry could not agree with some amendments because they radically changed the entire construction law. According to her, it could not agree with those proposals that are not in line with the aim of the amendment, namely, simpler building permits and shortened deadlines. On the contrary, it welcomes proposals that clarify the text of the law.

The so-called coordinated permitting process should merge the currently separate zoning proceedings, construction proceedings, and the environmental impact assessment (EIA). According to the ministry, this is supposed to significantly speed up the permitting of constructions. Such a project will be simultaneously placed and permitted by one official decision. However, the merged procedure will not be mandatory; the investor will be able to choose whether to utilize it or to follow the existing legal regulations.

The merging of construction proceedings will be possible primarily for projects such as railways, roads, highways, local roads, or waterworks, as well as for constructions related to radioactive waste repositories, pipelines, product pipelines, electricity transmission networks, or power plants with an installed capacity of 100 megawatts or more.

The Economic Committee and the Committee for Public Administration recommended, among other things, to insert the institution of an entitled investor into the law, which is to be an owner, manager, or operator of public transport or technical infrastructure. They will be entitled to request that the relevant authority informs them about the discussion of drafts of spatial development principles, zoning plans, or regulatory plans. The Committee for Public Administration also recommended a proposal that could lower the construction costs of wine cellars.

During the final approval, deputies will also vote on a proposal from their colleague Karla Raise (ANO), who wants to regulate the construction of new religious buildings of certain churches. Citizens would decide on them in a local referendum. It would mainly concern mosques; according to him, established traditional churches would not be affected. The ministry does not agree with his proposal, considering it unconstitutional.