Accelerating housing construction: Berlin's new law to speed up building permits (2015)

Berlin's Senate has introduced a draft bill to speed up the construction of new apartments in Berlin. The housing construction acceleration law amends five regulations that have been slowing down building projects.

Five laws, five changes

The cemetery law is being amended to allow residential construction on the fringes of decommissioned cemeteries with good infrastructure connections. The monument protection law will add a reporting requirement for housing-related projects to streamline coordination with the Senate administration. The state forest law and tree protection ordinance are being adjusted for cases where construction projects affect forested areas or require tree removal. The building procedures ordinance is being overhauled to shorten the path from application to permit.

New land for housing development

The amendment to the cemetery law could open up new development sites in densely built boroughs. Areas with large cemetery grounds such as Pankow (Weissensee) are among the potential beneficiaries. Where building land is scarce, every additional plot counts.

Even before the draft bill, the Senate had created 53 new positions in borough offices to strengthen planning and permits departments.

Part of a broader strategy

The law complements other housing policy measures such as the rent cap introduced in June 2015. The Senate is pursuing a two-track approach: restraining rents in existing stock while improving conditions for new construction.

For investors and developers, shorter approval phases mean a faster return on capital and better cost predictability. How quickly the changes take effect in practice will depend on implementation across Berlin's twelve boroughs.