Bavarian draft law to boost housing construction threatens climate plans – municipalities

A draft "modernisation" law intended to speed up housing construction in the southern German state of Bavaria has met resistance in cities and municipalities, as local mayors fear they will face more bureaucracy and the measures will have a negative climate impact, Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported. Two municipal umbrella organisations – the Association of Municipalities (BRD) and the Association of Towns and Cities (DST) – said a section that deals with changes to the Bavarian building regulations would cancel out local commitments to the transport transition, biodiversity and climate adaptation "with the stroke of a pen."

According to the draft, homeowners, for example, would be allowed to create gravel gardens in future. These reflect heat as temperatures increase and go against state regulations that stipulate green gardens, which have a cooling effect. To prevent undesirable developments, municipalities expect to have to regulate aspects that the draft law aimed to deregulate. For example, the number of parking spaces per residential unit should no longer be prescribed. "That's not why there will be fewer cars” and would mean more street parking, said Hans Seidl, mayor of the municipality of Maisach. The bill still has to be discussed and passed by the state parliament. 

Germany is facing a crisis in the construction sector and a housing shortage nationally. In 2023, the government suspended the tightening of new building efficiency rules initially planned for 2025 in a bid to boost the construction of affordable housing. Germany’s building sector has repeatedly failed to meet its emission reduction targets.