The Minister of Regional Development has promised to try to solve the deepening chaos surrounding his new digitized construction permit system with some legislative first aid. But the promise amounts to little more than an admission that there a problem exists. Construction office bureaucrats are currently processing construction permit applications submitted before July 1 on old-fashioned paper. Meanwhile, investors are trying to submit new applications through a new digital portal. Unfortunately, to put it very simply, the new system is rather glitchy. The worry now is whether the new permits will be considered valid if they’re challenged in court. “A dual system, where both the new and the old law would apply at the same time, is not entirely possible. We will look at whether it is possible to find some legislative or interpretative relief, but we cannot have two different legal regulations on the same matter,” said Minister of Regional Development Ivan Bartoš.
Left unanswered was the question of why the issue hadn’t been foreseen by his ministry. Chairman of the Svazu měst a obcí ČR František Lukl said “It’s imperative to find a radical solution.” Not one that will show up in a few months, the way the ministry seems to think, but that will show up in the best case within a matter of days.” Director of the Association of Developers Zdeněk Soudný said that in view of the seriousness of the situation, “all expert groups agree on the need for a quick legislative measure in the form of a bypass to remove legal uncertainty until the digital system functions comprehensively and flawlessly.”
