Investors and developers today are primarily grappling with the interpretation of the new Building Act. Key issues include the presumption of consent and consistent decision-making practices by government agencies.
The new Building Act was intended to bring about faster and more predictable permitting procedures. However, after more than a year in effect, it is becoming clear that the biggest challenge of the reform is not the text of the law itself, but how individual authorities consistently interpret it in practice.
Similar projects today do not always face the same requirements, which creates uncertainty in planning for investors and developers. The presumption of consent by the relevant authorities also deserves special attention—a concept that fundamentally changes the established practices of public administration.
Whether the reform will fulfill its ambitions will not be determined by the number of amendments, but by the ability to build trust in the new system.
