Representatives of national parks warn against amendments to the building law

Prague – The approval of certain amendments to the new building law would mean a weakening of nature protection and an opening of valuable areas to developers, representatives of national parks and the Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection (AOPK) stated today in a press release. They are concerned that decisions on construction projects in the most strictly protected locations would no longer be made by the administrations of protected areas, but by building authorities. The third reading of the building legislation is set to take place in the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday.

According to the authors of the letter, some amendments bring unpredictable chaos to decision-making regarding buildings in protected areas. Builders, they say, will not know in which situations to turn to building authorities and when they must contact the administrations of national parks or AOPK. "Despite some reservations, the government's proposal is therefore acceptable from the perspective of protecting our most valuable nature," the representatives of the national parks stated in the letter.

The director of the Šumava National Park Administration, Pavel Hubený, is concerned that if the proposals weakening nature protection are adopted, development will threaten many iconic locations in Šumava. "The approval of the amendments could trigger the construction of a 'satellite town' right in the heart of the Šumava National Park," warns Hubený. He cited the threatened development of extensive meadows around several houses in Filipova Huť as an example. "Some amendments are intensively trying to exclude the validity of regulations, for instance, for these areas," he pointed out.

His concerns are echoed by the director of the Krkonošsko National Park Administration (KRNAP), Robin Böhnisch, who believes that the Krkonoš and Podkrkonoš landscapes have recently faced another wave of developer pressure. "If KRNAP were to lose one of its key competencies in nature protection, as anticipated by the proposed amendments approved by the Economic Committee, soon it would become merely the manager of benches and worthless lawns in the midst of the apartment jungle," Böhnisch fears.

Director of AOPK František Pelc is also against the idea that administrators of protected areas would lose decision-making power regarding construction. "If only building authorities were to decide on it, not only the natural and landscape value would easily be lost, but also the unique character of entire protected areas," warned Pelc. According to him, unique meadows on the crest of the Beskydy mountain range would be endangered.

The amendment transferring nature protection responsibilities in national parks and protected landscape areas to building authorities was criticized by the Ministry of the Environment at the end of April. The change was proposed by Economic Committee member Jan Bauer (ODS), and the committee supported it despite the objections of the Ministry of the Environment and the proponent of the building law, namely the Ministry for Regional Development. The Chamber of Deputies' Economic Committee recommended the proposal for adoption.

The long-prepared building law aims to speed up construction permitting, according to the government. MPs raised dozens of amendments to it. The proposal is contentious mainly due to differing views among MPs on the organization of building authorities.