How is the housing construction process being simplified in Belarus? An expert from Vitebsk shared his insights
The Council of Ministers' resolution, refined at the initiative of the Ministry of Architecture and Construction, will accelerate and simplify the construction of residential buildings, commercial real estate, and other construction objects in Belarus. In particular, some procedures and approvals are being removed, and forms of technical requirements and conditions are being established. The long-awaited Code on Architectural, Urban Planning, and Construction Activities will come into force in the summer. What specifically will change? How is work being done in Belarus to simplify the construction process? Yuri Vyzhikovsky, Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Committee for Architecture and Construction, told "Vitebskiye Vesti" about this.
As the expert noted, there are many changes, but he would particularly like to draw attention to two of them. They are aimed at reducing construction time and cost.
– Project documentation will be the basis for commissioning a facility, – says Yuri Vyzhikovsky. – All assessments of the construction object's safety will be made at the stage of project review, not during or after its construction.
The approval of design and estimate documentation and the decisions embedded in it is a complex process. As the interlocutor noted, there were cases when construction lasted for 2-3 years, and during this time, the norms changed. As a result, supervisory authorities began to impose requirements based on current regulations.
– One set of design solutions and costs was established, – the interlocutor continues. – But by the time the facility was commissioned, the norms had changed, and the cost had increased. After all, the developer had to respond to comments because the facility needed to be commissioned. However, there are budget allocations for the facility, and it is incorrect to simply increase them. It should not be the case that after designing, undergoing an examination, and obtaining all permits, changes have to be made upon commissioning. This prolongs and increases the cost of construction.
Another innovation will particularly please developers who are building several facilities in different regions of the country.
– Unified forms of all technical requirements for construction have appeared for Belarus, – continues Yuri Vyzhikovsky. – Previously, there were complaints that they differed in different regions of Belarus. And for a developer with several facilities in different regions of the country, it was difficult to adapt. Now, additional requirements are not allowed.
As Yuri Vyzhikovsky added, legislative work to simplify construction in Belarus has been underway for several years. For example, Presidential Decree No. 202 simplified the procedure for the construction and reconstruction of single-family residential buildings and outbuildings. The document provides that such facilities in rural areas can be built without obtaining permits and approvals, without developing design documentation, and instead of a complex commissioning process, the facility is simply registered with the agency for state registration and land cadastre.
According to the interlocutor, work on simplifying the construction process in Belarus will continue.