Brno disagrees with the proposed amendment to the law that would restrict municipal building regulations

Brno – The leadership of Brno has opposed a proposal for an amendment to the law that would limit the powers of municipalities to influence city building regulations. Its approval could fundamentally jeopardize the sustainable development of large cities, stated Mayor Markéta Vaňková (ODS) in a press release today. The proposal is part of an amendment to the energy law, dubbed Lex OZE III. Its main goal is to introduce rules for the storage and aggregation of electricity.

The Senate rejected the regulation limits, as well as new conditions for individual inspections of certain solar power plants. The amendment will thus have to be reconsidered by the Chamber of Deputies, which inserted both contentious provisions into the government proposal.

"Approval of this amendment could fundamentally jeopardize the sustainable development of large cities, particularly in the area of public space planning, transport infrastructure, and measures against overheating. If we were to lose the ability to set our own building regulations, the planting of new trees in public spaces would be significantly limited, as it would have to adapt only to leftover spaces where it would not obstruct technical infrastructure," Vaňková said.

According to the councilor for urban planning, Petr Bořecký (ANO), the amendment would cause legal uncertainty. "The urbanism of cities would be newly dictated mainly by technical infrastructure instead of traditional planning tools, such as street and building lines. This would lead to ambiguities in urban planning and could negatively affect the preparation of thousands of new apartments," he believes.

Brno building regulations have been in effect since last July and are binding for all builders, designers, and authorities involved in the permitting process. The city's leadership promises that the document will ensure quality construction and cultivated public space. It is now appealing to MPs to accept the Senate's amendments in the upcoming vote or to reject the law as a whole. Representatives of Brno are prepared to further clarify the situation at an upcoming awareness seminar on this topic. The building regulations also apply to Prague and Ostrava, in addition to Brno.