Minister of Construction, Verena Hubertz, has announced plans to significantly accelerate the building process and to rethink environmental protection in the process. “Where building is intended, it should simply move faster” Hubertz told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Saturday editions).
Currently, it takes an average of five years for a building plan to be ready in a typical city. The government aims to shorten this process by two months, allowing for a deviation from the standard procedure, as enabled by the introduction of Paragraph 246e in the Building Code. “We’re giving local authorities a lever in their hand” the minister said.
The goal is not to build haphazardly in nature, but to focus on new construction, densification and upgrading of existing buildings, all without land sealing, Hubertz emphasized. “We’re not just talking about new construction, but also about densification and upgrading. Both can be achieved without land sealing” she added, noting that, while some areas may lose green spaces, others will gain them through compensation.
Environmental protection must always be considered, Hubertz stressed, citing both European regulations and the need for a more pragmatic approach. “We must be brave and move things forward” she said, acknowledging the need for a balance between conflicting interests. “We must not get stuck in endless disputes, but rather quickly resolve them.”
To achieve this, the government will establish criteria and leverage digitalization to facilitate the process. “We’ve been dying a slow death in the past in every respect” Hubertz said, emphasizing the need for change.
In addition, the government plans to introduce a unified new-build support program, taking into account the income of families and prioritizing affordable housing for the middle class. “We will establish criteria to support housing for the middle class, not just for those who can already afford it” Hubertz said, adding that income will play a role in the program, but the government will not favor high-income earners, as a social democrat.