Senators should not approve the amendment to the building law according to architects

Prague – More than 180 architects and other professionals have urged senators to vote against the amendment to the building law. They argue that the change does not address current problems in the field and will not lead to a faster building permit process, as stated by the proponents. At the same time, it reduces the protection of certain public interests, such as the protection of landscapes and cultural monuments, and does not improve the rules for preparing spatial planning documentation. The architects informed about this in an open letter, which is available to CTK. Earlier, the Czech Chamber of Architects also opposed the amendment. The Senate will discuss the law change this week.

"As architects, we need building law to be stable, predictable, and developed through an open professional discussion. Building law must also protect public interests, support quality urban and rural development, and create conditions for efficient building permits. In our opinion, the proposed amendment does not fulfill these goals,” the experts wrote.

The amendment primarily introduces a centralized network of state building offices. A single consolidated building permit process led by one office and concluded with one stamp will suffice for granting building approval. The Senate will likely not approve the extensive amendment to the building law; all three Senate committees that reviewed it recommended its rejection to the plenary. Senators claim that the proposal presented as a parliamentary bill is unclear and incomprehensible, with unpredictable consequences.

According to the architects, the law change weakens many public interests and may ultimately lead to haphazard approvals of constructions at the expense of protected values. The protection of the environment or certain monuments could be endangered, and citizens' opportunities to participate in the building permit process would be limited.

Moreover, the focus on accelerating the building permit process, according to the architects, will not ensure an improvement in housing availability, as the proponents claim. They assert that the amendment contains no tools to support guaranteed affordable housing; on the contrary, it abolishes the legislative foundation for buildings meant for affordable rental housing. The proposed reorganization of building administration is also problematic, as it could lead to reduced workforce capacity in the offices. Since the amendment was proposed as a parliamentary initiative, it did not have to undergo the standard public commentary process. Therefore, architects pointed out that professional associations and groups had only limited options to express their views on the change.

Earlier, representatives of the opposition, local governments, and environmentalists also opposed the amendment. Together with representatives of the Czech Chamber of Architects and the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Active in Construction (ČKAIT), they previously stated that the amendment has many shortcomings that seriously threaten the building permit system. They believe that the change would not significantly accelerate construction or improve housing availability; on the contrary, it could lead to increased operating costs of the system and worsen conditions for current employees in the offices.