At the VI BEF, Irkutsk Oblast will present the draft programme of integrated low-rise construction.

At the plenary session “Siberia - Land of Opportunity. Irkutsk – Point of Support”, which will be held at the VI Baikal Economic Forum, September 7, 2010, the new housing projects discussion is planned. As Ruslan Bolotov, Irkutsk Oblast Minister of Construction and Roads informed at the press conference, the priority will be given to the problems of the low-rise housing and mortgage lending.

Currently, a draft of the comprehensive regional programme of development of low-rise housing in 2010-2015 has been worked out in the Irkutsk Oblast. Its aim is to create conditions for the development of low-rise building through effective public-private partnership. According to Ruslan Bolotov, today, the State is away from direct intervention in the housing market through its purchase, last year way, and proceeds to create the conditions for the development of the areas to provide the most effective growth in the construction industry.

"The main tasks we set by ourselves are to create a legal framework to ensure the effective development of integrated low-rise construction, development of mechanisms and incentives to private housing, and financial support”, - said the Minister. – “We will provide direct financial support of the regional budget for investment projects of integrated low-rise construction. Companies that win the competition and will be involved in the pilot projects will receive 40-50% of the funding for the construction of roads and communications. It means the necessary infrastructure, including the construction of social facilities (schools, kindergartens, etc.).

According to Ruslan Bolotov, the novelty of the mechanism of support lies in the fact that the region will attract private investors for the construction of social facilities. In addition, the programme will provide financial support to municipalities for the preparation of land for the complex development, including allocation of plots to people entitled to receive free land.

Another innovation of this programme is  regional budget support of the construction industry enterprises, which will focus on the production of  materials for low-rise construction. There's also a mechanism to support companies that use modern energy saving technologies.

Ruslan Bolotov said that 15 pilot projects are to be implemented in the frames of the programme. But since they will be implemented on a competitive basis, it is too early to name the projects that will work on the programme. However, we can already say that the cost per square meter in such houses will not exceed 20,000 rubles. "If the state invests in the infrastructure of these villages, it has the right to insist on the price being in the range that we consider the threshold of accessibility for many people", - emphasized the Minister.