Spatial chaos generates costs of PLN 84.3 billion annually. Municipalities, residents and investors lose out. What will the new planning and zoning regulations change?
PLN 5.8 billion a year - such are the savings Polish municipalities can get from reducing the phenomenon of spatial chaos (Polish Economic Institute's 2018 report). This will be made possible by an amendment to the Law on Spatial Planning and Development being prepared at the Ministry of Development and Technology. It will simplify procedures and improve the country's spatial order. Local governments and companies will benefit, but above all residents.
The annual costs generated by spatial chaos were estimated by the Committee on Spatial Planning of the Polish Academy of Sciences in 2018 at at least PLN 84.3 billion. We are talking about costs related to transportation, commuting, or expenditures on the construction and maintenance of excess roads and water and sewage networks. The costs of spatial chaos also affect the agricultural sector, the real estate market and the natural environment.
The situation cannot be underestimated. It generates very high costs that hit not only the municipalities, but especially the residents themselves, reducing their quality of life.
New solutions
The Ministry of Development and Technology is completing work on a reform of the spatial planning system in Poland, which is expected to become a remedy for many negative phenomena.
The aim of the project is to increase the flexibility and integrity of the spatial planning system, counteract the dispersion of development, facilitate investment in already developed areas, and digitize spatial planning data. This will benefit investors, municipalities and residents alike.
The most important changes are:
- replacing the municipality's spatial planning study with a master plan,
- simplification and shortening of planning procedures,
- clarification of the rules for issuing decisions on development conditions,
- introduction of the Urban Register as an ICT system.
A municipality's general plan instead of a study of land use conditions and directions
The municipality's study of spatial development conditions and directions will be replaced by the municipality's general plan. This is a planning act in the nature of a local law, which will provide a framework for controlled spatial development of the municipality based on both local plans and individual zoning decisions. Thus, the system will be consistent, as the key planning documents will be interconnected.
In drafting the document, those drawing it up will base it on, among other things, the municipality's spatial policy contained in the municipality's development strategy, the findings of the provincial spatial development plan or conditions arising from, among other things, the presence of protected, valuable or negatively threatened areas. And although it will be up to the municipal authorities to adopt the general plan, residents will be involved in the process itself, to an even greater extent than before.
Importantly, existing local plans will remain in force. New ones will be able to be passed more quickly and easily. This will be possible, among other things, thanks to changes and simplifications in the procedure for drawing up spatial planning acts. This will allow municipalities to bring spatial chaos under control in a non-invasive and smooth manner.
Types of planning zones
In the general plan, the municipal area (excluding closed areas) will be able to be divided into twelve types of planning zones:
- Multi-functional zone with multi-family residential development;
- Multi-functional zone with single-family residential development;
- Multi-functional zone with homestead development;
- Service zone;
- Large-area retail zone;
- Economic zone;
- Infrastructure zone;
- Green and recreation zone;
- Cemetery zone;
- Mining zone;
- Open space zone;
- Traffic zone.
Other changes
By linking strategic documents, the problem of different findings in them will disappear, which in turn will translate into transparency and legibility of the entire planning system, not only at the municipal level.
In order to prevent uncontrolled sprawl and the emergence of development of a scale that does not fit in with the neighborhood or even negatively affects it, decisions on zoning will be issued only in areas of development replenishment indicated in the municipality's general plan. The final deadline for the preparation of general plans is early 2026. To help and streamline the process, municipalities will receive financial support for the development of spatial planning acts from the National Reconstruction Plan.
A new tool will be introduced into the planning system - the integrated investment plan (ZPI). The ZPI will be a special type of local plan, the drafting of which will be linked to the signing of an urban planning agreement. It will define the obligations of both the investor and the municipality, agreed upon by both parties in the negotiation process. Importantly, there will be no limited catalog of projects for which such a plan can be drawn up. Public participation will be strengthened because public consultations will be held, as with any local plan.
All documents in one place
Starting in 2026, all planning documents will be available in one place - the Urban Register. This dedicated portal will make it possible to create, collect, update and share spatial planning and development data. The registry will be centrally maintained, and the information necessary for its creation will be completed by local governments.
For more information on the spatial planning reform, visit mojemiejsce.gov.pl
