Federal Council imposes limits on buildings outside building zones
The federal government wants to stabilise development outside of building zones with a partial revision of the Spatial Planning Act. The Federal Council has submitted a draft for consultation. The draft will allow new buildings up to a maximum of 1 per cent of the 2023 level.
The Federal Council is proposing that the number of new buildings outside of building zones be increased by a maximum of 1 per cent compared to 2023. At its meeting on 19 June, it submitted a corresponding draft for consultation, the Federal Council announced in a press release. The consultation draft is a proposal for the ordinance on the revised Spatial Planning Act. It was passed by both chambers on 29 September last year and aims to stabilise construction outside of building zones at a certain level.
There are currently around 620,000 buildings outside of building zones in Switzerland. If the bill comes into force, this figure could increase by a maximum of 6,200 buildings. With an average of 500 new buildings outside the building zone each year, the maximum permitted number would be reached in just over ten years, writes the Federal Council.
The Federal Council is also proposing changes to the handling of special zones. Here, the volume and area of new buildings outside of building zones will have to be compensated for by the demolition of existing structures. In agricultural zones, the priority of agriculture over other uses is reaffirmed.