Another deregulation on the horizon. From 2023, will it be possible to erect a single-family house of any size without a building permit? The Minister of Development and Technology outlined such intentions yesterday. This is probably a reaction to the scant interest in permit-free houses of up to 70 square meters.
The abandonment of a building permit for a single-family house is to apply - as in the case of houses up to 70 sq. m. - a building erected "for one's own residential needs." Development and Technology Minister Waldemar Buda, introducing the idea, reported Thursday that there will be no limits on the area, and the only limit is to be a maximum of two stories. He also announced that - although developers will still not be able to take advantage of the facilities just introduced and announced, he said:
for them we are preparing other solutions.
there will be a manager
How is the proposed solution different from the facilitation for erecting houses under 70 sq. m. in area that has been in effect since January this year? For larger meters, a construction manager will be necessary, who is also to be responsible for certifying that the house is habitable. This is because the plan is to do away with acceptance and occupancy permits. In addition, it is to be similar: the time for issuing development conditions is also to be 21 days.
Why the plans for another deregulation - after the controversial loosening of procedures for smaller houses? Although the ministry doesn't mention it on its website, the reason is probably the very weak interest in erecting houses without permits of up to 70 sq. m. They were supposed to be a remedy for the growing housing crisis, which the current authorities have failed to prevent despite the hyped but residually implemented housing programs.
301 for the whole country
So how many people have taken advantage of the simplified procedure? As "Gazeta Wyborcza " reported more than a week ago - from January to the end of May it was only 301 applications. "Gazeta" juxtaposes this with the number of building permits issued during that time: 33,400. The contrast pretty much says it all, and "Gazeta" enumerates possible reasons for this state of affairs. Investors are said to fear the consequences of declaring construction only for their own purposes (criminal liability). Besides, banks are supposed to be reluctant to give loans for the construction of houses of risky quality - put up without a manager and a construction log. Finally - the problem is a strong increase in the price of materials and labor.
Thus, for now, fears of even more haphazard construction in the country are not coming true. Yesterday, instead, the ministry released the first 22 designs for houses up to 70 sq. m., the result of a nationwide competition arranged by the ministry. They are, as deputy minister of the ministry Piotr Uściński put it
created by professionals, functional, ecological, economical and aesthetic. And most importantly - they are available to citizens completely free of charge.
Their appearance and quality can be verified on the website of the General Office of Construction Supervision.
