How will the new Planning Act change the property market?

With the entry into force of the new Planning Act, enacted on 24 September 2023, the Polish real estate market is facing significant changes that could affect the way developers, investors, and local governments approach land use. The new regulations, aimed at tidying up and standardising planning processes, will directly impact the real estate sector, especially on investments in industrial projects. While the new law prioritises greater transparency, shorter procedures and better alignment of spatial plans with real development needs, it also introduces new challenges and restrictions. Current legal status and existing problems The existing spatial planning system has been primarily based on three key documents: provincial spatial development plans, studies of the conditions and directions of spatial development of municipalities, and local spatial development plans. However, the study of conditions did not hold the status of a legal act, allowing decisions on land development cond