Blinds and shading, stop the chaos on free building

Standardise and simplify. To the benefit of works such as the installation of awnings and sunscreens, which are too often penalised by the interpretations that arrive at the local level on permits. This is the solicitation that comes from FederlegnoArredo, commenting on developments in the draft delegated law on the updating of the Building Code, currently under discussion in the Environment Committee at the Chamber of Deputies.

"The sector," FederlegnoArredo emphasises, "needscertain rules that are stable and uniformly applied within a simplified regulatory framework that excludes a system of derogations and territorial discretion that would only risk increasing disputes. Only in this way will it be possible to truly achieve the goals of simplification and give stability to the market, to protect the entire construction production system".

The reference is, above all, to work related to the world of awnings and shading. Over the years, with various regulatory interventions, there has been an attempt to clarify how they fully fall within the field of free building, thus not requiring permits. Despite this, however, various disputes have led to rulings that have often said the opposite, creating great uncertainty at the local level, even in the practices of municipalities.

for Assotende," says Gianfranco Bellin, president of the association that within FederlegnoArredo represents manufacturers of blinds, sunscreens, technical textiles and control and automation systems, "it is essential that thenew Code definitively clarifies application criteria and authorisation areas. In fact, it is unacceptable that interventions that the national legislation includes within the scope of free building are then subject, at the local level, to additional documentary or authorisation requirements'.

The principle of free building, according to Bellin, 'was born precisely to simplify certain interventions that, due to their characteristics and impact, should not be subject to complex procedures. In practice, however, the opposite often happens with delays and additional costs for citizens and businesses. That is why we are asking that the new regulatory system strengthen thelegal certainty and limit the margins of interpretative discretion".