Land reserve (reserved area or corridor)
An area or corridor a Czech zoning plan keeps free for a possible future railway, road or other use. Nothing that would hinder it is allowed there.
A land reserve (územní rezerva) is an area or corridor designated in Czech zoning documentation for a use whose need and land requirements still have to be examined. Typical examples are a future motorway, railway line, bypass or long-term development. A reserve can be set by the municipal zoning plan, the regional development principles or the national territorial development plan. The documentation always states the intended future use.
Rules inside a reserve
- Changes in the territory that could substantially hinder or prevent the future use are prohibited. A new building in a reserve will therefore usually not be approved.
- To turn a reserve into an actual area or corridor for construction, the zoning documentation must be amended.
- Impacts on the environment, farmland and forests are not assessed for a reserve; they are assessed only when the documentation is changed to allow the future use.
- In plans drawn up in the uniform standard, a reserve's label starts with R.
What it means for a buyer
A reserve near a house is a signal for the future. The project is not decided, may take years or may never happen, but it is on the table. A corridor only marks the space in which the location of the future structure is being examined, so its width does not match the width of the future road or railway. For transport projects it is worth following noise maps and any EIA process as well.
If a reserve lies on the plot being bought, building options are limited. A reserve may, however, be cancelled or adjusted in a later plan amendment, or turned into an area or corridor for a specific project, often as a public benefit construction.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a reserve last?
The law sets no fixed duration. It applies until an amendment of the relevant zoning documentation removes or adjusts it. That is why it is worth following planned amendments too.
Where can I find what a reserve is for?
In the text part of the zoning plan or the regional development principles, which state the future use of each reserve and, where relevant, the conditions for examining it.
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The explanation is general and informative, not legal advice. Binding are the land register, the zoning plan and other official sources.