Construction federation warns of housing crisis without changes to building policy
Belgium must build 75,000 houses a year for the next five years to prevent a housing crisis, construction federation Embuild said on Saturday at the start of the Batibouw construction and renovation fair in Brussels.
The fair focuses on alternative forms of housing such as tiny houses and cohousing, but research shows that few Belgians consider these to be real options. Modular construction, in which parts of new houses are built elsewhere and put together on site, has more potential.
“Modular housing offers an answer to the growing housing shortage because it can be built quickly and efficiently,” said Niko Demeester, managing director of Embuild. “It can therefore provide a solution to the urgent need for additional housing.”
Faster permit process
Embuild is callng for the permit procedure for construction projects to be accelerated. The average duration of a permit process in Flanders is now just over two years, but in complex cases it can take five years or more. The federation wants councils to agree to higher building projects.
Embuild also encourages homeowners to start construction or renovation projects: housing prices are rising less quickly than inflation, the price of building materials has stabilised and interest rates on loans are and not expected to fall quickly or significantly.
Meanwhile, the Flemish Energy and Climate Agency has launched a website to make it easier for people in the region to see what loans are available to them for renovation projects, from the government, banks or other providers.
#FlandersNewsService | Visitors to Batibouw, the annual building, renovation and decoration fair at Brussels Expo, 15 February 2025 © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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