From deregulation and freeing up land for development, to subsidies for renovations, to the creation of cooperatives and the Ministry of Housing, all these proposals reflect different approaches to housing, urban planning and environmental problems in Poland. We present a guide to the programs of the major parties for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
A summary of the programs has been compiled on the basis of the program documents released by the electoral committees related to the elections scheduled for October 15, 2023. Below are the most important postulates on how to shape and manage the common space in Poland, in order corresponding to the numbers of the election committees' lists.
Trzecia Droga (PSL + PL2050)
The Third Way coalition presents a program that combines social and environmental goals, but does not directly address housing or urban planning. Through a simple and stable tax policy, the politicians of Szymon Holownia's PL2050 and the Polish People's Party want to support families, while betting on the development of renewable energy, which is expected to benefit both locally and the country as a whole. The program shows a desire to create a sustainable future, where housing and spatial policies interact with care for the environment and the well-being of society. The question is whether these goals can be combined with simultaneous attention to the interests of farmers, food producers and processors.
Third Way also wants to improve access to home ownership and rental housing. Developing institutional care for the youngest and guaranteeing part-time work opportunities for young parents is intended to allow simultaneous combining of parenthood and work, which is important for the financial stability of families. The coalition is committed to supporting the development of green energy and transforming Poland towards a more sustainable environment. Homeowners, block dwellers, farmers and entrepreneurs will be encouraged to invest in renewable energy infrastructure (RES). This transformation aims to provide local Poland not only with clean energy, but also with energy independence. Small power plants in municipalities and homes will become a key element in the fight against climate change and environmental protection. The economic value derived from green energy is to go to the people and local communities, not just to large state-owned companies.
Left (New Left + Together)
The Left's planning and housing demands are encapsulated in two program categories called "Green Deal" and "Housing a right, not a commodity." The Left parties intend to build Poland's energy resilience based on renewable energy and storage. Regulations restricting the location of wind farms are to be unblocked, and a zero-carbon energy mix is also to allow the production of green hydrogen for clean transportation. Policymakers plan to introduce mechanisms to protect consumers from the increased costs of the energy transition, which they want to place in the broader context of the European Energy Union.
The environment is to be better protected through the establishment of new national parks, including Turnicki, Jurassic and Mazurian. The logic of the State Forests and Polish Waters is to change. Under the postulated 3 million zloty Concrete Crushing Fund, local governments are to be supported in transforming urban spaces full of concrete into greener and more human-friendly ones.
As part of the National Housing Program for 2025-2029, the Left assumes the construction of 300,000 housing units for low-cost rent, at an annual cost of PLN 20 billion. The housing will be included in the public stock. The coalition has decided to reinstate the Ministry of Housing and create a State Housing Agency, whose main purpose will be investment planning and supervision of architectural standards. At the same time, local governments will receive significantly more financial support for the construction of public housing.
The program includes the segmentation of housing into different rental categories, with the aim of integrating society and preventing the formation of ghettos. A National Renovation Fund is also to be introduced, as well as support for cooperatives and housing cooperatives. In terms of housing regulation, the program envisions regulating rents, supporting long-term rentals and protecting tenants' rights. It also plans to increase the availability of fixed-rate mortgages and introduce an upper limit on security deposits. Also part of the program is the planning of well-developed neighborhoods with access to public services and green areas, as well as the promotion of energy-efficient building technologies.
Law and Justice
A pillar of the ruling party's election program on housing and spatial policy is the recently announced refresh of the "Friendly Estate" project. It focuses on the modernization of large-panel housing estates, which is expected to improve the housing situation of 8 million Poles. The program is to include mechanisms and measures to support thermal insulation, replacement and installation of elevators, new parks and parking lots. The latter are to be created without depleting green areas. In what way? This is what politicians do not specify.
Law and Justice announces the continuation of subsidized loans under the "First Apartment" program and the continued operation of the 2% Safe Loan mechanism, for those betting on ownership. The party promises to run social and communal housing programs, as well as social rental housing. An additional convenience for municipalities, participating in these programs, will be the possibility of free use of architectural designs for multi-family housing with reduced energy intensity, selected in open competitions. Such a solution, in turn, raises concerns among the design community about a reduction in the number of commissions. Changes are to be made to the rules governing the operation of housing cooperatives, leading to an increase in members' rights and transparency of management boards' actions.
Easements are also to await those betting on single-family construction as part of a deregulation package called "Home without paperwork," which is to be extended to houses with an area exceeding 70m2. And here, too, politicians propose using free projects selected through competitions.
Similar to the Civic Coalition, the Law and Justice Party plans to increase the availability of land for housing. The mechanism to make this possible is a new law on spatial planning, obliging municipalities to adopt master plans.
Confederation
On energy and environmental policy, the Confederation plans to continue basing Poland's electricity production on fossil fuels, calling the prospect of moving away from them a dangerous utopia. In doing so, it puts economic interests (in the short term) above environmental ones, promising to keep coal production high enough.
Confederation politicians, too, see a problem in housing, their sources being low supply, lack of land and bureaucracy. Although enacted studies cover 3.3 million hectares of residential development land, which could house 230 million residents, the argument about the lack of availability of building plots runs through the agendas of several groupings. Another reason for the housing crisis is also said to be EU climate policy and its effects on the construction sector. The "Fit for 55" package is said to be an obstacle to investment. The Confederation's politicians are also promising to change regulations that they believe overprotect tenants. Restricting tenants' rights is expected to revive the housing market.
The Confederation's program focuses on lowering construction costs and purchase prices for houses and apartments. This is to be achieved through deregulation, simplification of procedures, liberalization of planning and regulation of the environmental impact of developments. Land supply is to be increased by, among other things, facilitating the development of agricultural land.
Civic Coalition (PO + N. + Greens + IP)
The Civic Coalition's program on housing and spatial policy includes a number of demands within the grouping's "100 concretes." Plans covering housing, energy or environmental issues aim to improve living conditions for Poles.
KO announces the introduction of a loan with 0% interest for the purchase of the first apartment, an expansion of programs already in operation. This is a further step toward providing access to low-cost credit, but carries the risk of increasing housing prices and developers' profits. The answer to the insufficient availability of rental housing is to be a PLN 600 rental subsidy for young people. KO also has a plan to increase the supply of housing to offset the effects of increased cheap credit demand. The coalition proposes freeing up land of state-owned companies and the National Property Stock, especially those that went to KZN for the Mieszkanie Plus program, which the group's politicians believe has been a disaster. Meanwhile, PLN 10 billion is to go to revitalizing and renovating vacant buildings in the resources of Polish local governments. Another PLN 3 billion a year KO proposes to subsidize new projects in the TBS model, as well as the renovation and expansion of municipal housing stock.
Locally produced energy prosumers are to receive lower electricity bills for investing in photovoltaics. They will also be able to establish local energy communities. Politicians announce the introduction of a law unblocking the possibility of onshore wind power development (reducing the distance to 500 meters) with clear and fast rules for issuing construction and connection decisions. Local communities will receive 5% of revenues from energy sales.
In terms of the environment, the KO's goals focus on forest protection - control of logging areas, with the most valuable natural areas to be excluded, and it is also announced that timber exports outside Poland will be restricted. Waste management, water management and urban greenery management are to be improved.
