New rules coming to the shores and beaches of Lake Balaton

According to the Minister of State for Architecture of the Ministry of Construction and Transport, Regő Lánszki, the new regulation is aimed at preserving the values of the “Hungarian sea”, Lake Balaton.

The draft law on Hungarian architecture focuses on saving value, according to Regő Lánszki. “We have defined the protection of our green areas, our environment and the protection of our existing building values, where we give priority to local culture. If you look at the construction economics part of the law, we are also giving an advantage to local construction companies,” Infostart quoted Mr Lánszki as saying.

He also stressed that this is particularly true for Lake Balaton. In the Balaton uplands, a special protected area will be defined. A new feature is the creation of a separate office of chief architect.

The role of local and district architects will also be strengthened. “You will not be able to build anything in the future just by following the rules. The role of local chief architects, related planning councils and the municipality will be very important,” he added.

The national chief architect also said that the waterfront regulation plan and the urban development plan for the area will be prepared. Among other things, this will:

• prohibit beaches currently owned by the state or the municipality from being rezoned so that they can only remain in the beach zone or be reclassified as green areas;
• include the provision of a public promenade of at least 5 metre width on at least 30 percent of the waterfront, and the removal of the beach for the purpose of creating green space only;
• include a concession in areas where the waterfront is privately owned: if someone gives up a 20-metre strip for public use, they will be entitled to a larger development on their own land if they agree with the municipality.

Mr Lánszki also talked about the future of the investments that have already been made or started.

“Anything that is not done according to the rules in force is open to review. However, where there is, the developer has the right to build and operate the property for which he has applied for a permit,” he said.

The draft law will be presented to Parliament in early summer or in the autumn at the latest, Infostart concludes.