Translated using ChatGPT service.
On Wednesday, 1 October, the Saeima Committee on National Economy, Agrarian, Environmental and Regional Policy supported the proposals prepared by the Ministry of Economics (MoE) for amendments to the Construction Law, forwarding the draft law for consideration in the third and final reading. The amendments will significantly reduce the administrative burden in the construction sector.
At the same time, the Committee also supported additional proposals developed by the MoE and agreed with industry organisations to improve the construction process and reduce administrative burdens.
“The amendments to the Construction Law are an important step towards reducing the administrative burden in the construction process, and they will also make it possible to implement defence industry projects more quickly,” emphasised Jurģis Miezainis, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Economics.
The draft law “Amendments to the Construction Law” will promote meaningful and effective public participation by improving public awareness of current construction intentions. Within the framework of public participation, discussions will focus on how the planned construction fits into the surrounding environment, without re-evaluating issues that are already addressed in territorial planning and environmental impact assessment processes.
Regarding technical specifications (TN), it is foreseen that their validity period will be two years. It is also stipulated that TN must include only conditions directly related to the specific construction intention, and disproportionate investments in public infrastructure may not be required.
The draft law also highlights the responsibility of utility network operators for their networks – they must maintain them as a diligent and careful owner. Participants in the construction process have the right to rely on the information provided and approved by the utility network operator, and they are liable for damage caused to the network only if they fail to comply with the operator’s instructions.
In cases where changes are made to the territorial plan, ongoing construction intentions may follow the previous planning regulations. This will reduce the risk for project developers that amendments to the territorial plan could prevent approval of changes which previously would have been possible – for example, retaining the approved number of parking spaces while modifying a building’s volume.
The acceptance of a third-party explanatory statement or a note confirming compliance with design conditions may be appealed within one month instead of one year – which will shorten the waiting time needed to start the construction process.
Given the nature and potential danger of unauthorised construction, both for building users and society as a whole, in the future any co-owner will be able to initiate the elimination of unauthorised construction, without requiring the consent of all co-owners. Meanwhile, initiating the commissioning of a building in the case of co-ownership may be done by a portion of co-owners (more than 50%).