Soon, Poland may be divided into parcels not only on the surface, but also under the ground or even up in the air. All this thanks to a special new law modelled on the western model of land management, which is being developed by the Ministry of Infrastructure and which may be extremely important for the construction of the New Centre of Łódź.

Free space available for development is becoming more and more scarce in the centres of big cities, and not all investors can afford to build a Manhattan-style skyscraper. Limitations of the current spatial planning are another problem. The new act is meant to help solve it. It does not offer a simple rule for dividing vertical space into new parcels, but it gives the owner of the land opportunity to lease the rights to the space under and above the parcel in the form of long-term lease. This way, external investors will be able to build underground and over-the-ground parking lots, shopping centres, housing and service facilities at the most attractive locations. The investor would gain the status of the owner of the facility he/she built. This solution is especially advantageous for owners of areas of key importance for the country, e.g.: local self-governments, General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA), companies of the Polish Railways (PKP), developers, housing cooperatives and private investors. Often, even though they have the right parcels, they cannot afford expensive investments. Importantly, underground and above-the-ground areas may be the subject to mortgage which will encourage banks to offer credits for such construction projects.

The law may come into force in January 2012 at the earliest. By that time, the works on the underground section of the Łódź Fabryczna station under the New Centre of Łódź will probably have started. The design of the entire station area mainly rests on the well-developed underground infrastructure, which includes not only train and bus platforms, but also access routes and parking lots. Now, the new regulations will provide firm legal support for all project stages. The entire area of the New Centre of Łódź will total 90 hectares, most of which belong to railway companies and to the City. The new act will allow private investors to build there multilevel structures, while the land remains the property of PKP and the communal government. More sophisticated mechanisms enabling investments in the underground section of the land will definitely increase the attractiveness of the parcels. They may also be extremely useful for creating a citizen-friendly city, with sustainable transport and a lot of of high-class public space.