Belgium will need nearly 225,000 additional affordable and sustainable homes by 2030 to match population growth, cater for a growing number of single-parent families, and achieve carbon neutrality goals, says construction federation Embuild.
In response to this need, Embuild outlines recommendations for multiple levels of government .
For Wallonia, the federation recommends increased public investment within the recovery plan and the ‘Mobility and Infrastructure for All’ programme. Additionally, it suggests revising property taxes and lowering registration fees for energy-efficient homes or those with planned energy improvements.
The federation also highlights a labour shortage in the sector, with nearly 15,000 workers needed in Belgium. It suggests several potential solutions, including mobilising job seekers, integrating youth into the sector, retraining older workers as tutors, and strengthening the provision of training.
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For Brussels, Embuild notes that 50 renovations per day will be needed by 2050 to achieve carbon neutrality and the goal of increasing climate-friendly renovations from 1% to 3%.
To tackle this, the federation calls for reduced administrative costs for new constructions, which can make up as much as 50% of total property cost, discouraging potential investors, says Embuild.Brussels’ general manager Jean-Christophe Vanderhaegen.
At the federal level, the federation calls for increased global public investments in future legislatures to ensure the longevity of the country’s infrastructure. Embuild points out that Belgium currently spends only 2.7% of its GDP on public investments, less than the 3.4% invested by its neighbours.
Lastly, Embuild proposes extending VAT reductions, currently applied to individuals, to demolitions and reconstructions carried out by property developers, according to Embuild CEO Nico Demeester.
