When notifying the EK, the building regulations in Prague will be from the year 2016

Prague - If the European Commission (EC) requires notification, the revised building regulations in Prague will come into effect at the beginning of January next year. Originally, this was supposed to happen in the middle of this year. The Deputy Mayor of the capital, Matěj Stropnický (Troika Coalition), told ČTK that the Commission's statement on whether notification is necessary or not should arrive within three weeks. On Tuesday, the city council will discuss the postponed assignment of the regulations' amendment. According to some information, the coalition does not agree on their form.
    The recently abolished building regulations by the Ministry for Regional Development have triggered a heated debate in Prague for several months. Even before they came into effect in October last year, the billboard lobby initiated a strong media campaign. They disagreed with the advertising regulation that the regulations brought. In contrast, architects and developers welcomed the change. There were demonstrations regarding the regulations in January. Additionally, the police became interested in them.
    According to the ministry, the main reason for the regulations' cancellation was the critique that they had not been submitted for approval to the European Commission. However, experts do not agree on the necessity of so-called notification. Therefore, Stropnický reached out to the Commission in January with a letter. If it confirms the necessity of notification, then according to the schedule, the council will approve the amendment only in October and it will come into effect at the beginning of January 2016. If notification is not necessary, the process will be expedited and the regulations will start to apply at the beginning of September, Stropnický said. In the meantime, general regulations will apply in Prague as in other Czech cities.
    According to Stropnický, the new building regulations should emphasize the use of renewable energy sources in construction, protection of greenery from development, and height regulation of the city. However, information from the coalition indicates that the councillors have issues with Stropnický's proposals. The council was originally supposed to discuss the assignment already in January, but it has postponed this topic several times.
    Prague’s building regulations are an implementing regulation of the building law. In December last year, the city announced that it would legally defend itself against any possible cancellation of the regulations. However, it has not yet done so due to differing opinions among the councillors.