The Definition of Revitalisation (according to the Revitalisation Act – Article 2, Paragraph 1)
Revitalisation is “a process of leading out of the crisis state of degraded areas, conducted in a comprehensive manner, through integrated actions for the benefit of the local community, space and economy, territorially concentrated, conducted by revitalisation stakeholders on the basis of a communal revitalisation program” (i.e. a process of social, economic, spatial and technical transformations aimed at leading out of the crisis state of the most degraded areas).
Many communes carried out revitalisation activities even before the entry into force of the Revitalisation Act in 2015, using the competence of the commune council in the matter of enacting economic programmes, resulting from the provision of Article 18(2)(6) of the Act on Municipal Self-Government. Therefore, there are currently two types of documents in communes drawn up according to different legal bases:
- The communal revitalisation program (CRP) [Polish acronym: GPR], resulting from the Act of 9 October 2015 on revitalisation (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2020, item 802);
- The local or municipal revitalisation programme or revitalisation programme (LRP, MRP) resulting from the Act of 8 March 1990 on self-government (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2020, item 713) – however, these programmes may be in force until December 2023.
One of the provisions of the Revitalisation Act is the indication of the maximum area and population for the revitalisation area: it cannot be larger than 20% of the commune’s area and cannot be inhabited by more than 30% of the commune’s population. The basic differences between them are presented in the table below.
Currently, the lack of a Communal Revitalisation Program does not block the possibility of benefiting from EU funds allocated for this purpose. It is important that the programme is included in the list of positively verified revitalisation programmes, i.e. it must meet the standards and formal conditions resulting from the Guidelines of the Minister of Development of 2 August 2016 on revitalisation in operational programmes for 2014-2020, included in the substantive programme evaluation document, as followed by a specific voivodeship.
Selected differences between the CRP and revitalisation programmes under the Act on Communal Self-Government
| Commune revitalisation program | Revitalisation program |
|---|---|
| May be valid without any time limits | May be valid until a maximum of 31.12.2023. After this date, the commune may carry out a revitalisation process, but only on the basis of the CRP |
| The procedure requires adoption of additional resolutions. These are resolutions: on the designation of a degraded area and revitalisation area and concerning the revitalisation committee | The procedure does not require the adoption of any additional resolutions |
| The procedure requires mandatory public consultations, at least to the extent specified in the Act | The procedure does not require public consultation. Communes may carry out consultations under the rules set out in the relevant resolution. Public consultation of the environmental impact assessment for the programme may also be required, if the Regional Directorate of Environmental Protection decides to carry out a strategic environmental impact assessment for this document |
| It is possible to use additional instruments specified in the act such as: SSR, MPR | It is not possible to use the instruments specified in the Act on Revitalisation |
Ministerstwo Funduszy i Polityki Regionalnej
Krajowe centrum wiedzy o rewitalizacji
Ustawa o rewitalizacji z dnia 9 października 2015 r. (Dz.U. 2015 poz. 1777)
Regionalna Polityka Rewitalizacji Województwa Śląskiego
Wykaz programów rewitalizacji na terenie Województwa Śląskiego pozytywnie zweryfikowanych przez IZ RPO
Gminny Program Rewitalizacji – praktyczny poradnik dla mieszkańców i władz lokalnych
