New rules may be introduced for enabling agricultural land to be used for non-agricultural purposes – typically, the construction of buildings.

The proposed changes are contained in a government bill currently under discussion and would significantly increase the fees for exempting agricultural land from the ban on non-agricultural use.

For the best quality land, the fees would rise from an average of c. CZK 70,000/ha to an average of c. CZK 975,000/ha. For land of lower quality, the increase would be less.

Residential projects would continue to be exempt from the fees where they are developed on land designated for such purposes by municipal zoning plans.

The proposed new rules would also simplify the process of exempting undeveloped land within municipalities, as well as simplifying and making partial changes to the responsibilities of agricultural land protection authorities.

Law: Act No. 344/1992 Coll., on the Protection of Agricultural Land Fund

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The original publication date for this article was 12/03/2010.