The government wants to approve controversial constructions

Prague - The spatial development policy, which is a fundamental key for spatial planning in the Czech Republic and is set to be approved by the government next week, is being criticized by some environmental organizations and municipalities. According to them, its approval would give the green light for the construction of highways, the establishment of a parallel runway at Prague Airport, or nuclear storage facilities without the possibility of later changes. Martin Fadrný from the Environmental Law Service said this to reporters today. The associations demand a postponement and further development of the document.
    The document is presented to the government by the Ministry of Regional Development, and the reaction of the office is being investigated by ČTK.
    If the document is approved in its proposed version, it will block any discussion about alternatives, about assessing environmental impact, and also about the finances for individual projects, according to Fadrný. He claims that the material, in many cases, defines very specifically the location of buildings or the route of communications, thus not allowing for any other option.
    "Not only us, but also the Czech Chamber of Architects, say that such a document should set a task. For example, it should state that specific cities need to be connected, but it should not discuss alternatives or routes," Fadrný stated. "Moreover, we believe that the caretaker government does not have a mandate to discuss and approve a document that will have such impacts," he added.
    The spatial development policy has a significant influence on the spatial plans of regions and municipalities, which, for example, require addressing the negative impacts of population relocation to the outskirts of cities or reusing abandoned areas and lands. It is binding for regions and municipalities.
    The government was supposed to have the material on its agenda already at the end of June, but the meeting was interrupted.