Faced with the housing shortage in several regions, the PLR proposes six measures. In particular, it wants to facilitate the construction of new buildings, the renovation of old housing and the transformation of offices and commercial premises into housing.
To do this, it is in particular a question of relaxing the “excessive” protection of the historical heritage and the prescriptions in terms of noise, the Swiss Liberal-Radical Party said on Thursday. Building permits should be issued more quickly and the building must be densified.
The number of building permit applications has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years, while the demand for housing is increasing rapidly, notes the PLR. Consequence: the pressure on the prices increases. For the party, the only ‘effective long-term solution’ is to make the building more attractive.
Relaxing the ‘excessive’ protection of monuments and heritage consists of a reduction of standards and a less strict application of these. Existing buildings will be better used and new constructions will be favored, according to the PLR.
Densify and transform without bureaucracy
In order to issue building permits more quickly, when an application is submitted in fully digital form, the decision must be taken within six weeks. A central administrative service should coordinate all the services involved, asks the PLR.
As for the densification of the construction, as well as the increase in the index of use, they will be obtained via elevations and other arrangements of the attics, as well as by the reduction of the prescribed distances between the buildings. In addition, offices and commercial premises must be able to be converted into ‘bureaucracy-free’ accommodation.
And to make protection against noise more flexible, the PLR proposes to quickly deal with the ‘practice known as ventilation windows’ proposed by the Federal Council in Parliament and to implement it. Thus, the noise limit values in an apartment should no longer be complied with everywhere, but for example only for a window overlooking an inner courtyard.
The PLR also wants to speed up the implementation of the 2014 spatial planning law which ‘is not progressing fast enough at cantonal and municipal level. The uncertainties that this delay causes lead to a slowdown in construction activity, according to the PLR.
/ATS