Urgent need for housing: Union calls for new construction offensive in the Kleve district

Urgent need for housing: Union calls for new construction offensive in the Kleve district

In the Kleve district it is clear: Housing is a hot topic. In 2024, 1,231 new apartments were built there, including 262 single- and two-family houses. Overall, the building costs amounted to around 155.5 million euros. But the IG Bau union is sounding the alarm and calling for a new building offensive. The need for social and affordable housing is high, and this is evident not only in Kleve, but nationwide.

The numbers are alarming. According to IG Bau, there is a shortage of around 550,000 apartments in Germany, of which 35,000 are missing in Berlin alone. The situation is particularly critical in social housing, the number of which is constantly decreasing. In order to meet demand, at least 210,000 new social housing units would have to be built every year by 2030. There are currently just around 1 million social housing units, a number that has been steadily falling since the 1990s.

The challenges of housing construction

Building permits in the Kleve district at least show slight increases: 249 new residential buildings were applied for in 2024, which corresponds to an increase of 5.5 percent compared to the previous year. But that's not enough. A total of 1,246 new apartments were applied for and approved, with a clear trend towards multi-family homes - this category recorded an impressive increase of 65 percent.

IG Bau is committed to significantly reducing construction costs. A study by the ARGE construction research institute suggested reducing construction costs by a quarter to a third. This is about real savings: fewer excessive standards, reduced ceiling and wall thicknesses and the elimination of underground parking spaces could help to create living space. According to IG Bau, excessive requirements must also be questioned when it comes to noise and climate protection.

Social housing in crisis

The connection between the lack of housing and the economic environment cannot be denied. The federal government has already taken measures to support housing and the construction industry, but it remains questionable whether this is enough. Construction costs and interest rates have risen since the Ukraine crisis, making new construction even more difficult. In the fourth quarter of 2024, prices for new residential buildings rose by around 3.1 percent compared to the previous year.

More money is currently being invested in social housing nationwide, and the number of subsidized social housing rose by 21 percent to 49,591 in 2023. Nevertheless, the total number of social rental apartments remains on a declining trend at around 1.07 million.

Matthias Günther, chief economist at the Pestel Institute, describes the situation on the social housing market as a “chronic burnout”. In order to actually remedy the situation, comprehensive political measures are required: target agreements, a nationwide social housing register, a basic law guarantee for new construction funding and a reduction in VAT to 7 percent for the construction of new social housing are on the list of proposals.

The traffic light government is currently under enormous pressure to act. The focus is on creating housing and supporting the construction industry, while the population suffers from a lack of housing, particularly in structurally weak regions. The amount of affordable housing not only impacts the housing market, but also the entire economy.

Time is running out. Cologne and the neighboring district of Kleve must rise to the challenge, meet the demand for living space and at the same time maintain social standards. The shortage of living space can only be addressed sustainably through a clever building policy.