The building law threatens monuments, it should be amended, says an expert

Prague - Forty thousand monument-protected properties in the Czech Republic are at risk following the House of Representatives overruling the Senate veto and approving a new building law. This was stated by Václav Girsa, a heritage architect and president of the Czech National Committee of ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites. He believes that Czech cultural heritage may be at risk of being placed on the UNESCO list of endangered heritage and will demand the inclusion of cultural heritage protection in the next version of the law or its amendment.

The Ministry for Regional Development defends the law, which has been in preparation for several years, by arguing for faster building procedures and adherence to deadlines. According to the Chamber of Commerce, the law will help citizens, entrepreneurs, and public investors in permitting construction from highways to family houses. Opponents, on the other hand, warn that the law will distance authorities from citizens and complicate the construction process instead.

The law is set to come into effect on July 1, 2023, although some changes will take effect from January next year. The opposition coalition Together (ODS, KDU-ČSL, and TOP 09) and the Pirates with Mayors state that if they govern after the October elections, they will change the proposal currently being pushed through.

"The new building law, which integrates heritage care into state building administration in the case of monument protection zones, does not guarantee the protection of our cultural heritage. The law will trigger rampant construction of high-rise buildings where this is currently not legally possible," stated Girsa. "No one will convince me that building authorities can function as state heritage care authorities. I’ve probably never heard a bigger nonsense; I’m not sure if it’s meant to be taken seriously," he added.

The Czech ICOMOS has reservations about unrestricted placement of mobile homes around cultural monuments and other elements of the law. Girsa noted that the current wording of the new building law has avoided a proper legislative process. "After significant changes in the House, the law did not go through a transparent commentary process. It was not even considered by the Government Legislative Council. A number of amendments were adopted without oversight of their real impact. Our international commitments and the requirements of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre were ignored. There are also serious doubts about the compliance of the entire process with the constitutional order," he stated.

The organization ICOMOS monitors compliance with international standards for cultural heritage care, supports research activities in the field, engages in the protection of monuments, and, together with the Ministry of Culture and the National Heritage Institute, participates in the preparation of materials for the inscription of valuable monuments and areas on the UNESCO World Heritage List.