The government did not support fixed deadlines for the opinions of heritage conservationists

PRAGUE - The proposal from Prague representatives that the conservationists of the National Heritage Institute should issue their opinions on historical building repair projects within 20 days did not find support from the government today. According to information from ČTK, the cabinet identified with the negative stance of its legislative council. The initiative from the capital will now be evaluated by the parliament, but it is virtually certain that the proposal will not be approved before the June election.
The Prague city hall proposed to amend the law on state heritage preservation so that conservationists would have a twenty-day deadline for issuing their opinions. Currently, there is no deadline for issuing the opinion necessary for the building permit process.
The proposed 20-day deadline would be the standard; in complicated cases, it could be extended by agreement between the institute's conservationists and the municipalities. The conservationists from municipalities and city halls issue binding opinions in building procedures. If the national institute's conservationists do not submit their opinion within the deadline, they could issue their opinion without them.
According to the Prague city hall, the issuance of opinions currently often takes a long time. This unnecessarily prolongs subsequent zoning and building procedures, which the city council finds unacceptable.
The proposed amendment to the law also states that investors would not need to apply for a binding opinion from the conservationists for internal changes in buildings that are not heritage-protected but are in a heritage reserve or heritage zone, or in their protective zones. This obligation reportedly imposes an undue burden on investors and conservationists alike.
Additionally, the Prague city hall suggests that declaring a matter as a cultural heritage and its subsequent annulment should be a standard administrative procedure. The owner of the matter would thus be able to express their opinion on the proposal, submit comments, or appeal. Currently, an owner can only contest such a decision by filing a lawsuit in the administrative court.
The proposal would expand the powers of municipalities where there is a heritage reserve, a heritage zone, and their protective zone. They could determine more detailed conditions for repairs and restorations of buildings located within these heritage zones through their regulations.