When amending the Building Act, the government will focus mainly on the digitization of construction proceedings. It promises to significantly speed up and clarify the whole process. This was stated today by the Minister of Transport Martin Kupka (ODS) at the Construction Development Summit. According to him, the government will submit a proposal for digitization to the Chamber of Deputies by the middle of the year. This year, the Chamber of Deputies decided to postpone part of the new Building Act, which provided for the establishment of specialized building offices.
According to Kupka, the postponement of the effectiveness of part of the law eliminated the risk that instead of accelerating traffic construction, collapse would occur when permitting constructions. According to the government, this would be caused by structural changes, which provided for the establishment of specialized building offices in the regions. In this context, the Minister stated that the problem would be primarily with the staffing of the authorities, which would cripple the issuance of building permits.
Instead, the government wants to focus on digitizing individual construction procedures. According to Kupka, it will be possible to monitor the individual steps and procedures of the authorities electronically in clear tables. They should contain information on the current steps of the office, deadlines and other conditions. “This digital footprint will bring clarity in procedures and strengthen the responsibility of individual officials,” the minister added.
According to him, the draft of this part of the law should go to the interdepartmental comment procedure in the first half of April, and the government promises to submit it to the Chamber of Deputies by the middle of the year.
The governing coalition has also previously agreed to reduce the number of building authorities to 371 instead of the current 450. According to the agreement, some mayors will come to the building office, for example, those where only one official has the agenda.
On the contrary, the principle of appeal or fiction of a favorable opinion should be preserved from the current wording of the Building Act. On the original date, 1 July 2023, the part concerning so-called reserved constructions, ie large investment projects, such as line constructions, which under the new legislation will fall within the competence of the Specialized and Appellate Building Authority, should also enter into force.
The Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates) wants to discuss the comprehensive amendment in the Chamber of Deputies by the end of this year. According to the Minister, when it aims to completely reverse the establishment of the Supreme Building Authority.
Bartoš’s predecessor and shadow minister for local development Klára Dostálová (for YES) had previously warned of possible double-tracking, when the law would allow the state to secure its buildings, but citizens would still have problems. According to her, it is also important to ensure who will deal with the problem of black buildings.
Source: CTK
