About 4,000 people move to Luxembourg City every year, the majority of whom come from abroad. The capital’s LSAP section believes that not enough is being done to meet the housing demands of this growing population. Last year, the municipality launched the construction of 40 projects, none of which have made significant progress, the party lamented.
On Monday afternoon, LSAP members from the Luxembourg City section convened on a piece of land on Rue Anette Schwall-Lacroix, not far from the Merl police department. Here, the municipality plans to construct about 50 new apartments, spread over four different parcels. Even though the particular building plan (PAP) was already established in 2014, nothing has happened since. LSAP members came to the location to draw attention to the problem, which they say is happening all across the capital.
Councilman Tom Krieps argued that those in power lack the “political will” to tackle the problem. The fact that many of the new residents do not vote in elections may have something to do with it, he suggested.
Luc Decker, co-president of LSAP’s Luxembourg City section, emphasised that not all is lost. He referred to a January publication from the Housing Observatory, which found that the municipality is one of the biggest owners of land here in the country. Looking at properties larger than 50 hectares, the City comes in second place. This means that there is enough room to build, concluded Decker.
Nevertheless, due to ever-growing demand, action needs to be taken swiftly. President Gabriel Boisante stressed the importance of accelerating administrative procedures, something that politicians can actually achieve. He also expressed his belief that future construction projects can be designed more densely. Whichever direction is taken, both the public and private sectors have to work in harmony, said Boisante.
LSAP officials hope that the Housing Pact 2.0 will bear fruit. The agreement explicitly states that a certain percentage of newly constructed housing opportunities has to be made affordable. The socialist party demanded that the City retain these locations so that they can be managed properly.
Furthermore, they want a commitment from the city that more than the minimum rate of new projects will be reserved for affordable housing. As a symbolic gesture, LSAP members referred to the construction project on Rue Anette Schwall-Lacroix, which they think should be 100% affordable and managed by the City of Luxembourg.
