Experimental zones in Luxembourg: what will change in construction?

The Luxembourg government is developing a new legislative initiative to create "pilot zones" within the framework of a land use plan (POS). These zones are designed to simplify administrative procedures and relax regulatory requirements for innovative construction projects. The aim is to increase housing supply and support urban innovations such as affordable housing, school construction and the regeneration of industrial areas.

Luxembourg has strict building regulations aimed at ensuring safety, hygiene, comfort, accessibility and the protection of cultural heritage and the environment. However, these regulations often slow down or prevent the realisation of innovative architectural projects. The new initiative will allow certain legal regulations to be deviated from in pilot zones in order to evaluate the effectiveness of new solutions and speed up construction.

Experimental zones will be created through a land use plan (POS) in accordance with the law of 17 April 2018 on spatial planning. They will apply to school projects, affordable housing, and the regeneration of urban areas and industrial zones.

To realise this initiative, existing legislation needs to be adapted. The working group is currently analysing laws and regulations to identify possible barriers and propose changes to the 2018 law.

Once the legislation is amended, pilot projects will be selected to test the new regulatory approaches. Each pilot zone must be approved by the government through the POS approval procedure, which includes an assessment of environmental, economic and social impacts.

At the moment, the list of specific projects and selection criteria have not yet been developed. However, the government plans to submit amendments to the legislation and start implementation of pilot projects by the end of 2025.