The new system for building management is, according to Opava, non-functional, calling on MMR for correction

Opava – The new construction permit information system prepared by the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) is, according to representatives of the Opava city hall, non-functional. It is not possible to work with it adequately. The city hall is calling on the ministry to make corrections. In a statement available to ČTK, city secretary Tomáš Elis stated this. According to him, other city representatives share a similar view on the situation. Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization and Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates) told ČTK that challenging weeks can still be expected. However, he believes that the Czech Republic will gradually reach a point where digitalization will significantly simplify work.

"The deployed version of the mentioned system is not yet sufficiently effective, and there are still fundamental shortcomings. In cooperation with other cities and municipalities, we appeal to the mentioned ministry and we are intensively urging it to rectify the situation," stated the secretary of the Opava city hall. According to him, the construction office's officials were only in the initial phase of registering submissions as of July 18. "It is currently not possible to functionally use it for the work of construction offices. We deeply apologize to everyone for any complications that we did not cause, but we believe that the MMR will be able to rectify the situation in a reasonable time," he said.

For a similar reason as Opava, the mayor of Nový Bor in the Česká Lípa region and chairman of the Association of Municipalities of the Liberec Region Jaromír Dvořák (Mayors for the Liberec Region) recently addressed the MMR in an open letter. He inquired about when the Information System for Construction Permits would be fully operational in such a way that the entire permit process can be completed through it, including all necessary actions stipulated by the new Building Act and other regulations.

Bartoš previously stated that the most common issue faced by officials when utilizing the digitized construction permit system at the MMR is setting their roles. Improper input prevents logins. As of Thursday, according to MMR data, 848 construction offices and affected authorities had not designated a person for receiving documents in the digitized construction permit system. Out of a total of 1,440 offices and affected authorities using digitization in construction permitting, about half had not registered any users. Therefore, these offices were not receiving requests from the builder's portal this week and could not work fully in the system.

"It is clear that implementing such a system is very challenging. It places enormous demands on everyone. I understand that, apart from the new systems, they also have to cope with a pile of paper applications submitted before the end of June. The MMR is trying to accommodate them as much as possible, and in individual cases, we are assisting with role settings over the phone and through screen sharing," Bartoš said. At the same time, the ministry is simplifying the options for configuration and management of roles by local administrators and is working on more detailed manuals for officials. Additionally, another series of full-day training sessions is planned in the regions over the summer. According to the latest MMR data, applicants through the builder's portal have successfully submitted over 2,000 applications, and there are over 5,000 created documents recorded in the Information System for officials.

The new Building Act came into effect on July 1 for all types of construction. For example, the regulation abolishes double permitting and merges spatial and building procedures into one. Construction offices are to directly contact other authorities and obtain their opinions in a so-called coordinated binding statement. At the end, there should be a single stamp for the builder. The process is to be digital for all participants through the Builder's Portal and other systems, with all documentation available online. Authorities and builders are to communicate through interconnected systems.