Housing Pact 2.0

The Housing Pact is a support instrument provided by the Luxembourg government to local authorities, with the aim of promoting the creation of sustainable, high-quality and, above all, affordable housing. To achieve this main objective, municipalities must, in collaboration with the Luxembourg government, not only develop their supply of affordable housing in the municipality, but also mobilise existing potential in terms of land and housing and actively improve the quality of life and housing.

As a dynamic player in municipal development, Kopstal has always pursued a strategy of sustainable territorial development and has implemented it in numerous municipal projects. The creation of affordable housing is one of the main challenges currently facing Luxembourg and the municipality. The creation of affordable housing is a priority for us. In order to give as many people as possible in Kopstal access to affordable housing, the commune has decided to take part in the second promotion period of the Housing Pact.

The Housing Pact is implemented in two phases - in the first phase, which lasts a maximum of two years, the aim is to develop, in collaboration with a housing adviser, a strategy for promoting affordable housing - the "Local Housing Action Programme" (PAL in French).

The PAL consists of a comprehensive analysis of the current situation, followed by the definition of strategic areas for action. These define the municipality's approach and serve as a guideline for all future municipal decisions on affordable housing.

In the second phase, which runs until 2032, the objectives and fields of action defined in the PAL are implemented through concrete projects. This may involve the construction of housing, for example, but also projects to improve the quality of life in the community, such as the renovation of playgrounds. In addition, information and awareness-raising initiatives and measures to promote civic participation must be initiated and implemented. The projects selected by the municipality will be co-financed by the Luxembourg government.

A housing adviser is a professional adviser who is made available to the local authority. Their role is to support the administration and politicians in drawing up their local strategy for promoting affordable housing and to help them implement the projects.

Since 2021, the WW+ office in Esch-sur-Alzette has been acting as the local authority's housing adviser.

During the first phase, the commune drew up the Local Action Programme (PAL) for Housing with the support of the housing adviser, as part of a process of dialogue and with the help of numerous workshops with the administration and politicians.

In addition, it was particularly important for the commune to involve the public in drawing up the PAL. To this end, an intensive public consultation (face-to-face and digital) was organised in spring 2023. The results of this participation provided valuable food for thought for the local authority and the housing consultant during the preparation of the PAL. Following this intensive development process, the next step will be for the PAL to be formally adopted by the local council of Kopstal.

With the official approval of the local council in December 2023 for the local housing action programme (PAL), the commune of Kopstal has successfully completed the first phase of the Housing Pact.

The second phase of the Housing Pact was launched on 29 February 2024 with the signing of the "Implementation Agreement".