07.10.2021
Provincial Directors of Finland for the Draft Planning and Construction Act: Intact must not be repaired
The regional leaders propose that the preparation of the Planning and Construction Act be discontinued altogether. It is not possible to proceed with the draft law in its current form in a situation where the preparation has reached a political deadlock. The most appropriate thing is to completely suspend the preparation.
The regional leaders of Finland state that the draft of the Planning and Construction Act (formerly the Land Use and Building Act) sent to the statements is problematic. This is an unfinished draft law that does not achieve the objectives set for it in the Government Programme, but is in direct contradiction to some of them.
The draft law does not streamline planning processes and does not reduce bureaucracy, but, on the contrary, increases it. At the same time, the draft will increase the cost burden on municipalities. The draft would increase the number of designs, but its effectiveness would be weakened. From the point of view of the fiscal sustainability gap, the outcome would be counterproductive. The administration's work must be as effective and cost-effective as possible.
With the draft law, the Ministry of the Environment aims to significantly weaken the planning of municipalities and joint municipal authorities on a democratic basis and to increase the powers of the state in the control of the use of areas. Provincial leaders do not agree with this.
The draft law would leave gaps in the planning system as a result of the said weakening of the provincial plan. The regional plan sets targets that it is no longer able to meet in its presented form. Nowadays, everything in the provincial plan has legal effects, while the draft law would have only a few themes, and those too would be limited.
The system proposed for inclusion is complex. The change would cause constant difficulties of interpretation, and it is easy to see that the resulting situation would burden different levels of justice. The draft law would weaken the citizen's belief in his or her opportunities to influence various official procedures.
During a long period of preparation, it has not become clear why the zoning and construction law was attempted to be reformed to the extent proposed. The streamlining of processes is necessary, but in many respects this does not require a comprehensive reform of a well-functioning existing law. I shouldn't have gone to repair it.
FROM THE PRESIDENTS OF FINLAND
Kari Häkämies
Regional Director of Southwest Finland
Chairman of the Provincial Directors of Finland 2021
Additional information:
Pauli Harju, Regional Director, Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, tel. +358 400 389 152
