Legal Loopholes and Investment Pressure in the Development of Individual Recreational Buildings in Protected Landscapes

Maria Hełdak, Klaudia Ogórka () and Beata Raszka
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Maria Hełdak: Institute of Spatial Management, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, ul. Grunwaldzka 55, 50-357 Wrocław, Poland
Klaudia Ogórka: Institute of Spatial Management, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, ul. Grunwaldzka 55, 50-357 Wrocław, Poland
Beata Raszka: Institute of Spatial Management, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, ul. Grunwaldzka 55, 50-357 Wrocław, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: This study investigates the legal and planning risks related to the implementation of individual recreational buildings in environmentally valuable areas, with particular emphasis on the municipality of Bukowina Tatrzańska in southern Poland. This research highlights the consequences of a legal loophole that allows construction in protected landscapes based solely on a notification procedure, often excluding municipal authorities from the decision-making process. This analysis combines field inventory, planning document review, and interviews with local officials to assess the scale and nature of development in areas lacking valid local development plans. The findings reveal increasing investor pressure and the misuse of individual recreational buildings for commercial purposes, leading to spatial and landscape degradation. Despite formal compliance with certain legal provisions, construction often takes place in areas of high natural and scenic value, undermining spatial order. This study recommends strengthening local planning instruments, revising construction laws, and enhancing investment control to ensure sustainable land use and landscape protection.

Keywords: landscape degradation; spatial order; individual recreation building; spatial planning system; zoning decisions; legal loophole (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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