Now is an opportunity to considerably reform the land use legislation and streamline the planning process. And Finland cannot afford to miss this opportunity.
The reform of the Regional Use Act is rapidly starting in accordance with the government program registration. This has also been confirmed by the Minister of Environment and Climate Kai Mykkänen.
The overall reform of the Land Use and Construction Act (MRL), which has been in force since 2000, was prepared in the two previous election periods. However, the proposal for the Planning and Construction Act (KRL) collapsed in the spring of 2022 due to political disagreements and poor consultation of stakeholders. At the same time, it was decided to carry through the reform only the construction section under the name of the Construction Act and to change the name of the MRL's zoning section to the Land Use Act.
The preparation of the Construction Act was not successful either, the end result is bureaucratic. In addition, it went head first, because it would have been justified to prepare the land use act before the construction act – construction and the construction process are a continuation of planning. Petteri Orpo it is recorded in the government program that the new government will amend the Construction Act, which is due to enter into force on January 1.1.2025, XNUMX.
A slide of questions waiting for answers
In the reform of the Regional Use Act, there will be several big questions to consider, because the operating environment has changed enormously in just over twenty years. Urbanization has progressed and will continue even after the end of the corona virus. Several forces of change are affecting society, which require the ability to react to changing needs even faster and more flexibly.
How does the law take into account Finland's urban areas and virgin areas that are densifying in different ways? How do we promote a controlled process from planning to implementation and speed up its duration? How to enable supplementary construction, which is a huge asset in the development of urban areas? How can project planning be opened up to private operators? Can the law promote trust and genuine cooperation between the different parties? What does municipal monopoly actually mean? How is the cityscape taken into account? In what ways are climate change and biodiversity taken into account in planning?
The government program entries correspond well to the reform needs
At RT, together with our member companies and also our stakeholders, we have been preparing and offering our presentations for years to make zoning go smoothly. Among other things, we have proposed that the landowner have the right to initiate zoning, that contractual and partnership zoning be entered into the law, and that plan surveys be carried out at one plan level. The general plan and site plan can be prepared at the same time. Land use agreements and payments must be equal, transparent and predictable. The right to appeal is subject to a reminder of the plan proposal. Zoning must be technology and material neutral.
The following government program entries also allow us to expect that the reform will start on the right track: It will be possible to prepare a master plan or partial master plan and a site plan at the same time. The Land Use Act enshrines the landowner's right of initiative for the general and site plan and imposes an obligation on municipalities to process the initiative within a deadline. The process of partnership zoning is recorded in the law. Complaint practices regarding planning processes will be revised and ways will be explored to deal with the number of complaints made about plans and speed up the processing of complaints.
After the criticism of the previous MRL reform process, it is also expected that this time the stakeholders will be genuinely listened to and the effects of the changes in the law will be properly assessed. We are again available and ready to be closely involved in the preparation of the law reform.
Anu Kärkkäinen
director, Construction Industry RT
Anu Kärkkäinen
Director, Economic Policy Affairs
anu.karkkainen@rt.fi + 358 50 337 6699Building Construction Industry Association
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