Not least for the energy transition, the building law in North Rhine-Westphalia is to be changed again in several places. This is intended to facilitate the expansion of wind and solar energy.
Dusseldorf - Facilitation of wind power, a solar system obligation in new construction and an even clearer ban on gravel gardens: NRW Building Minister Ina Scharrenbach (CDU) presented the cornerstones of the planned new state building code on Wednesday. The bill has already been passed by the cabinet and is now to be introduced into parliament. The law is scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2024.
The opposition was skeptical: "Even the fifth amendment to the state building code in six years is not a great success," said the SPD's building policy spokesman, Sebastian Watermeier. To date, not even all the administrative provisions of the previous amendments are in force. The fifth update is once again not a great success, which will provide an impetus for cost reduction and planning acceleration in residential construction.
Wind power
The draft provides for a simplified procedure for wind turbines, for which only the EU Machinery Directive is to apply as a requirement for building law. Requirements that go beyond EU law will no longer be required by building law in NRW in the future. In the future, the distance between wind turbines and property boundaries and residential buildings will be only 30 percent instead of 50 percent of their height.
Solar energy
From 1 January 2024, solar installations will be mandatory for new non-residential buildings, and one year later for new residential buildings. The decisive factor is the date of receipt of the building application. Scharrenbach does not expect much resistance: Most builders of new detached and semi-detached houses are already voluntarily equipping their roofs with photovoltaics. In addition, more roof area should be usable for solar systems in the future. The half-meter so-called tread area for the fire brigade and minimum distances to neighboring properties are to be omitted. In the case of a complete renewal of older roofs, a solar system is to become mandatory from 1 January 2026.
Gravel gardens
The existing ban on gravel gardens, i.e. sealed stone surfaces instead of plant gardens, is to be clarified once again. The building inspectorate could already order the dismantling of the stone deserts, warned Scharrenbach. Especially in view of increasing heavy rainfall, garden areas would have to remain water-absorbent. The stone deserts also heat up the environment and are bad for biodiversity.
Heat pump
For heat pumps, there should no longer be any minimum distances to neighboring properties. At the same time, the pumps must be quiet: according to the draft, the noise specifications remain unchanged.
Hydrogen
Smaller plants for the production of hydrogen should not be subject to building law, but should be "process-free" if the hydrogen is used for self-consumption. This also applies to gas storage facilities with a volume of up to 20 kilograms.
Mobile
The bill also provides for simplifications for the expansion of mobile communications. Outdoor antennas should no longer be subject to height limits and should no longer be covered with building code procedures. Temporary antennas are to be allowed to stand for up to four years.
Building permits
The bill provides for several simplifications in the building permit procedures. The simplest: In the future, it will be possible to submit building applications as an e-mail and no longer just in paper form in multiple versions. The conversion and conversion of older buildings is also to be simplified.
Building with wood
Building with wood is to be supported. In order to enable sustainable construction methods, it should also be possible to test new forms of construction and living. Dpa