Hameln-Pyrmont: 183 new apartments, but housing construction has to go faster!

Hameln-Pyrmont: 183 new apartments, but housing construction has to go faster!

A lot is happening on the housing market in the Hameln-Pyrmont district. The construction union IG BAU Niedersachsen-Mitte reports that only 183 new apartments were created last year. A not missing sign of the great need for housing, especially affordable and social housing, which is urgently needed to overcome the housing crisis in Germany.

Of the 183 newly built residential units, 76 were in the form of single- and two-family houses. The construction costs amounted to around 30.7 million euros, an amount that is simply sobering for many. “The housing construction turbo must finally be ignited,” demands IG BAU and advocates for faster construction of social housing in order to counteract the precarious situation on the housing market. According to IG BAU, the housing markets in many metropolitan regions are already overloaded, which is significantly increasing the pressure on housing construction.

A pressing problem

According to current estimates, there is a lack of well over 910,000 social housing units in Germany, which has a serious impact on the well-being of people with lower incomes. Especially in cities like Munich, horrendous rents were paid, which were often higher than the average rent. This clearly shows that the state accepts rising rents and thus supports landlords, although at the same time much more should be invested in social housing. The state pays over 20 billion euros nationwide annually for social housing support, while annual spending on social housing is less than 2.5 billion euros.

The need for action is clear. A current study calls for at least 100,000 social housing units to be built per year. Making this a reality requires a major rethink and massive investment in social housing. A look at the federal states shows where the problem is: in Lower Saxony alone there is a shortage of around 109,000 social housing units.

A suggestion for the future

IG BAU therefore suggests using “Building Type E” to promote innovative construction methods that can significantly reduce costs. A third of the construction costs could be saved through leaner construction methods and reduced technical effort. If the right measures are taken today, the creation of affordable housing can become a reality - and this is especially crucial for immigrants, families and people with low incomes.

Today's situation is symptomatic of a two-nuttition that extends across the whole of Germany - not just in Hameln-Pyrmont. An increase in the resident population of over 9 million people living in overcrowded apartments leaves no room for doubt: there is an urgent need for action.

We in Northern Germany are called upon to push forward housing construction. Dialogue must be sought in order to show a good knack for building affordable housing again. This is the only way we can address the housing shortage in our cities and communities.