Month after month, the building sector continues to sink into crisis. “Each time, we think we’ve hit rock bottom; and the following month, it’s even worse,” laments Pascal Boulanger, president of the Federation real estate developers. All the lights are red. Thus, only 81,800 housing units were authorized in the first quarter of 2024, down 12.8% compared to the same period of 2023. A decline which owes nothing to the refusals of mayors: developers are no longer submitting applications building permit.
In the collective, fewer than 12,000 new apartments were put up for sale, the “lowest level since 2010”, while transactions fell by 15.4%. “The block sales carried out as part of the Action Logement and CDC Habitat buyout plan are far from compensating for the fall in sales to individuals,” emphasizes Pascal Boulanger. Finally, delays continue to lengthen, exceeding 39 months in Lille, 36 in Nantes or 35 in Rennes, compared to 12 on average usually.
However, the stakes are high: the lack of housing should thwart public policies on employment and development. Thus, with the assistance of the CERC (construction observatory), the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Building Federation launched a regional study on the need for housing of the 25 winning zones of the Territoires d’industrie program: they would require 45,000 to 50,000 new housing per year, while the current volume stands at just 37,000. “This tool should allow elected officials to have new arguments to improve the acceptability of the construction », pleads Samuel Minot, president of the federation.
Another example: according to INSEE and the Regional Directorate for the Environment, Development and Housing (Dreal) Pays de la Loire, the needs are estimated at 23,700 housing units per year between 2024 and 2029 to meet the local demographic and economic issues. Over the last twelve months, only 20,200 have been started.