House of Peoples: Law on spatial planning rejected, thematic session announced in 45 days

(Patria) - The House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament did not accept the proposed law on spatial planning at today's session, which, according to the proposer's explanation, was intended to shorten the procedure for adopting spatial planning documents under the jurisdiction of the FBiH.

It was concluded that the House will hold a special thematic session on spatial planning and land use at the FBiH level in 45 days, and the initial material for discussion will be prepared by the Federal Government no later than 30 days.

The act with the full official title, the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Spatial Planning and Land Use from the jurisdiction of the Federation of BiH, was on the agenda today under an abbreviated procedure.

The FBiH Government, as the proposer, announced it as a regulation intended to simplify the lengthy and uncertain procedures for adopting planning documents, given that the current legislation prescribes the same procedure for their adoption as for the adoption of federal laws.

In practice, this means that each spatial planning document, before final adoption, must go through parliamentary procedure five times (in both houses of the Federal Parliament).

This applies to the adoption of the decision on declaring a certain area as an area of special significance for the FBiH (given that the FBiH spatial plan defining these areas has not been adopted), then the decision to proceed with the development of a planning document, and the procedure for adopting the spatial/urban plan, as well as the adoption of the draft planning document, which also applies to the procedure for adopting the proposal or the final planning document.

The processes for adopting planning documents under the jurisdiction of the FBiH are lengthy and uncertain, the Government stated, and the newly proposed method was for it to adopt planning documents in the form of drafts, and for the Ministry of Spatial Planning to conduct public consultations (public hearings).

The session of the House of Peoples continued with the next agenda items after voting on the proposed law and adopting the aforementioned conclusion on the necessary thematic session.