The government today suspended the discussion of the amendment to the building Act

Prague - The government today suspended the discussion of the amendment to the Building Act. This was communicated by the government's press office. The amendment aims to accelerate and simplify the permitting process; however, the Ministry for Regional Development presented it with several significant contradictions. One of them concerns the fact that Prague would lose the ability to have its own building regulations. Changes made to the Building Act are expected to be reflected in dozens of other related legal regulations.

The most significant change that the planned modifications bring is the merger of the permitting process into one procedure. The so-called coordinated permitting procedure should merge the currently separate zoning process, building process, and environmental impact assessment (EIA). According to the ministry, this will significantly accelerate the approval of construction projects.

The ministry hopes that the amendment will also ease the process for small builders. For example, it will allow self-help construction for all types of family houses without specifying the built-up area. On the plot of a family house or a house intended for recreation, anyone will be able to build a pool or a greenhouse based solely on their placement without subsequent permitting.

All spatial planning documents will be required to be published on the internet, which will allow the public better oversight of the entire process.

The Ministry for Regional Development presented the law to the government with several significant contradictions. One of them concerns the fact that Prague would lose the ability to build according to its own building regulations. "Given the limited possibilities of vacant land designated for development, it is necessary to adjust the setback distances between buildings differently and, last but not least, also due to the extensive network of public transport and parking," stated the Prague City Hall. According to the Ministry for Regional Development, Prague's building regulations create inequality between Prague and other self-governing regions that do not have such authority. "To account for the specifics of Prague and its architectural values, as in other cities, the spatial plan and regulatory plan primarily serve this purpose," adds the Ministry for Regional Development.

The current government included the amendment to the Building Act in its program statement. It was originally supposed to take effect in the middle of this year. Now, the Ministry for Regional Development speaks of effectiveness from mid-2017.