© dpa
The CDU-SPD coalition wants to speed up housing construction in Berlin with the help of a "Faster Construction Act" ("Schneller-Bauen-Gesetz").
The aim is to speed up planning, approval and construction processes and generally improve the framework conditions for building in Berlin, announced the Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) and Senator for Construction Christian Gaebler (SPD) on Friday.
To this end, various laws and regulations are to be amended. These include clearer division of responsibilities between the state and districts, uniform standards for procedures and shorter deadlines. So-called building application conferences are also planned for larger construction projects: All parties involved are to sit down together at an early stage in order to plan the implementation and remove potential obstacles. According to Gaebler, clear standards for species protection, which is currently handled very differently with the result that construction projects are unduly delayed, are also part of the coalition's plans.
Wegner called the planned package, which the CDU and SPD had agreed in their coalition agreement, "a great success that is worth seeing" and stated: "We want things to move faster." According to Gaebler, the plan, on which housing stakeholders submitted 700 proposals, will be sent to the associations for comment in the spring. The law should then come into force in the fall of 2024 after being passed by the House of Representatives.
"The Faster Construction Act is essential to promote new construction in Berlin, said Maren Kern, Chairwoman of the Association of Berlin-Brandenburg Housing Companies (BBU). The key points contain many sensible measures for accelerated, simplified construction. This also stands for the success of the Alliance for New Housing Construction and Affordable Housing, which met on Friday.