Hessen relies on Bau-Turbo: More apartments should be created faster!

Hessen relies on Bau-Turbo: More apartments should be created faster!

Housing in Hesse is faced with a departure: In March 2023, proud 1620 new apartments were approved, which corresponds to an increase of 46 percent compared to February and 8 percent compared to the previous year. But this increase remains in the shade of the 3193 building permits in March 2022, almost twice as many as this year. The Federal Minister of Building Verena Hubertz has launched the concept of a "construction turbo" in order to significantly speed up the approval processes. Representatives from politics and business are pushing for a rapid implementation of these plans, because the demand for living space remains high. reports of the urgent demands to create development plans faster.

A central voice in the discussion is Peter Adrian, President of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who emphasizes that the creation of development plans urgently needs to be accelerated. Ulrich Caspar, President of the IHK Frankfurt, also appeals to the municipalities to use new planning horizons and to react faster. The construction of social housing remains a decisive challenge: Hessen needs 7,000 new units annually, but only around 2,000 were created last year. Minister Kaweh Mansori therefore also demands that the funding, with which only 800 million euros have been granted.

Reform of the Hessian building regulations

A comprehensive reform approach is becoming more and more urgent, and the planned amendment to the Hessian Building Code (HBO) could bring light into the dark. MANSOORI presented the draft law, which is supposed to loosen the obligation to set up parking spaces and enable the construction of attic without permission. This regulation will apply in cities such as Frankfurt, Kassel and Wiesbaden by 2030. Despite the positive signals, experts do not agree on the entire scope of this reform: While Axel thousand pounds from the southwest German housing industry welcomes them, Gerhard Greiner from the architect and city planning chamber still sees more need for action. Hessenschau emphasizes that the elimination of the playground obligation is already viewed critically, the more commitment to social housing demands.

The initiative "Impulses for Housing- Hesse" has been active for a decade and is committed to more living space and better conditions for the construction and real estate industry in Hesse. Speaker Gerald Lipka emphasizes the urgent need for affordable living space and warn of a decline in building permits. The initiative calls for increased cooperation between the federal, state and municipalities to master the challenges together. Hessen criticized also the extensive bureaucracy, the construction projects frequently slow down.

In a time when the shortage of living space, it remains to be hoped that the announced reforms will actually have an effect and that people in Hesse quickly find the apartments they need. It is up to the political decision -makers to give the building a good hand and to slip fluently into the implementation. The upcoming measures could be an important impulse for housing construction and thus set the course for the future.