In December 2023, Brno city representatives decided to merge the planning departments of Brno districts into one central authority, in response to the new Building Act, which takes effect on 1 July. From this date, on Monday, the new planning office will come into operation at Orlí 30.
At the office on Orli, staff will oversee the construction and planning agenda for all districts except Brno-střed. The office for the latter district will remain at its current address at Měnínská 4, though it also comes under the new centralised authority.
“There are several reasons for creating a central planning authority,” said Petr Bořecký, councilor for spatial planning and development. “It is primarily a uniform interpretation of the spatial plan and Brno building regulations. The new Building Act transfers the interpretation of the spatial plan exclusively to the planning authorities. At the same time, we expect greater professionalisation and interchangeability of employees from this step. One large department with the background of a municipality can cope with the issue of digitization better than 20 smaller offices attached to city districts. Of course, the question is how effective the new system of the Ministry for Regional Development will be in practice. But we are doing everything to make the transition to the new agenda the least burdensome possible for the people of Brno.”
The new authority’s headquarters on Orlí are in the building of the former post office. City representatives decided on the purchase of the property for CZK 215 million in May of this year. As the building has been used for administration in previous years, no major renovation work was needed, only minor modifications such as repainting the rooms, laying new electrical wiring, and equipping the office with furniture and computer equipment.
The Central Planning Authority will become part of the Department of Spatial Planning and Building Regulations. It will have a total of 203 staff positions, with 150 allocated to the new office. Of these, all managerial and administrative positions are fully occupied, while the others, such as planning officers and technicians, are 80% full.
“Recruitment procedures are underway, and we will reach 90% occupancy in the near future,” added Oliver Pospíšil, secretary of the City of Brno. “Existing employees from the construction offices of the city districts make up 72% of the total workforce of the new office. As for the new workplace, the offices have basic equipment, which we will supplement with additional furniture during the holidays.”
The separation of case files is taking place according to a schedule. Archives are being transferred to the City of Brno Archives, while closed files will temporarily remain with the city districts. Live case files will be in the new office by 1 July, so staff can continue to work. However, file separation will also take place via a database. All pending procedures will be transferred in electronic form to the new authority during the first 14 days of July, due to the demanding volume of data and the subsequent connection to the VITA system, used to process submissions according to older legislation. Proceedings filed before 30 June will also be settled via this medium.
Computer equipment (1 laptop and 2 monitors per employee) was supposed to be delivered by the Ministry for Regional Development, but has not yet arrived. The municipality has therefore temporarily equipped the offices with its own technology (at a cost of CZK 3 million), which it will then replace with the new equipment provided by the ministry. Investments in this area came to approximately CZK 12.7 million.
The Department of Spatial Planning and Building Regulations will incorporate the current Department of Spatial Planning and Development into its structure. That department’s employees will continue to work at the current address on Kounicová, where residents can also submit comments on the city’s new spatial plan.
You can find more information about the new planning office and the division of districts on the city’s website.
