Lychen relaxes building requirements: are the new houses finally coming?

Lychen relaxes building requirements: are the new houses finally coming?

At a current meeting of the urban development committee, the ongoing difficulties in selling building plots on Bahnhofstrasse in Lychen were discussed. In 2020, the city council launched a new development area with seven properties for families and permanent residents. The aim was to support families with children and volunteers. In order to strengthen the social structure of the community, it was determined that the future owners must have registered their primary residence there and should live in the property themselves for at least ten years. This is reported by the Northern Courier.

To date, five years later, two of the seven properties, specifically parcels 281 and 283, have remained unsold despite intensive marketing. A real estate agent told the Northern Courier noted that building plots are difficult to sell in the current economically tense situation. Potential buyers shy away from making a large investment in a home due to rising costs and uncertain prospects.

Demographic changes in the buyer's market

Interest in the building plots comes primarily from wealthy customers over 50 who want to build in the bungalow style in order to be able to live in an age-appropriate manner. Many of them want to spend their retirement in Lychen, but are still professionally active in Berlin. In view of these demographic changes, the urban development committee is discussing a draft that would allow future owners to use the property as a second home for the first three years after completion. This would be a first step towards relaxing the current sales conditions, as the previous selection of buyers based on social criteria is no longer practical due to a lack of applicants.

However, changes to the design regulations, such as the approval of bungalows or the construction of single-storey houses, have not been included in the current template. The broker's market observations show skepticism about the idea that relaxed conditions could attract young families. In recent discussions in the committee, it became clear that there is a need for further discussion to better understand the future development of the series and the needs of potential buyers.

A look at the future

The administration has therefore withdrawn its original submission and plans to submit a revised version in early 2026. It remains exciting to see what specific measures will be taken to reduce the inventory of unsold properties while at the same time not losing sight of the original social idea. The goal remains to create attractive long-term housing options for families that enrich life in Lychen.