The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, has approved an amendment to the building law drafted by Regional Development Minister Klára Dostálová that aims to accelerate approvals on large construction projects. Now the law will be submitted to the Senate for consideration. If approved, it should come into force on July 1, 2023.
Currently, it takes an average of five years for large construction projects to get all the necessary permits and approvals. The government says the aim is to shorten the process by at least a year
92 MPs voted for the new law. ANO, SPD and three Social Democrats voted in favour of the law. Some Social Democrats voted against the law, as did other MPs. The bill withstood a motion to reject it by the Pirates. KSČM deputies refused to support the law. They objected to the passage of a proposal that removed the requirement for direct lighting and ventilation in living rooms.
The opposition parties have criticized the fact that the amendment will transfer all decision making to the state-run Supreme Construction Authority which will be organized similarly to the tax authorities.
