Construction can be a test of patience due to countless regulations. Now, many things are supposed to go faster.
Shorter deadlines, fewer reports and simpler approvals: By reducing bureaucracy, Construction Minister Klara Geywitz wants to ensure more housing construction. The SPD politician has now initiated a corresponding reform of the Building Code. In future, this will not only lead to modern and faster construction, but will also take climate change into account better – for example by adding more greenery to roofs.
Less bureaucracy in planning, approval and construction saves time and money, explained Geywitz. “The amendment is therefore also a small economic stimulus package for the construction industry.” The draft law is to be approved by the Federal Cabinet in September. It could then also go through the Bundestag by the end of the year.
FDP MP Carina Konrad has already assured Geywitz of her party’s approval. “If the Minister of Construction enables faster and more cost-efficient construction, she has our full backing,” she stressed. Only with more and faster construction can there be sustainable, affordable housing. The real estate industry also sees good approaches. However, special rules for the uncomplicated provision of building land are missing, for example, explained the industry association.
The most important planned innovations:
Flexibility in the municipalities
Municipalities should be able to respond better to local changes and create building permits more quickly. According to the Ministry of Construction, this could, for example, affect the construction of renewable energy plants – or the conversion of vacant commercial properties in city centers.
Raising roofs
In areas with a tight housing market, it should be possible in the future to add floors and extend buildings without changing the development plan. Previously, this was only possible in individual cases and with special justification.
Building in the second row
It should be easier to build densely populated areas – for example, if there is still room on the parents’ property for another house, into which the children and their families can then move. In this case, cities and municipalities should be able to deviate from development plans more easily.
Protection against conversion into condominiums
A special regulation is to be extended until the end of 2027: It states that countries can require special permits for the conversion of a rental apartment into a condominium – but only in areas with a tight housing market.
Deadlines for development plans
Up to now, it has often taken several years for a development plan to be drawn up. In future, the plans will generally be published 12 months after the end of the participation process. Outdated development plans will be updated more quickly.
Adaptation to climate change
Municipalities should prepare for the consequences of climate change. This may include, for example, installing green roofs or infiltration systems on a property. Developers must prove within a certain period of time that they have implemented compensatory measures, such as planting trees.
Source: Stern
