Debrecen4U April 30, 2026

More Than 2,000 New Homes to Be Built in Debrecen

At Thursday’s meeting of Debrecen’s General Assembly, the city’s chief architect provided information on the housing developments announced so far in Debrecen under the “Otthon Start” Programme. István Gábor recalled that “Otthon Start” is a state-supported, fixed-rate housing loan available up to HUF 50 million, with a fixed interest rate of 3% instead of market rates throughout a maximum term of 25 years.

If a developer undertakes to build at least 250 homes in a single, continuous development, of which at least 70% meet the conditions of the “Otthon Start” scheme, they may request that the project be classified as a priority investment, thereby accelerating administrative procedures. According to the chief architect, four developments in Debrecen have so far taken advantage of this opportunity:

• On the site at 86 Vámospércsi Road, 662 homes are planned.

• At 20 Hajnal Street, a development involving residential buildings and associated facilities is underway, where 400 new homes will be available to future owners.

• At 3 Zúzmara Street, a complex waterside residential environment with a high proportion of green space is planned, with 400 new homes to be built.

• The largest project is located at 1–3 Diószegi Road, on the site of the former Barnevál plant demolished in 2023, where a mixed-use development will include residential, commercial, service and community functions. A total of 789 homes will be constructed here.

Altogether, approximately 2,251 homes could be built in Debrecen under this scheme based on the announcements so far.

Mayor László Papp stated at the General Assembly that strict rules apply to these housing developments: applications for planning permission must be submitted within six months, and the homes must be completed within four years. He also noted that several other developments have been launched where the number of homes does not reach 250, and therefore they are not included in this briefing. Including those, he believes more than 2,500 homes could be built in the city.

He considers the expansion of the housing stock to be a key issue in terms of housing prices.

In response to councillors’ questions, he also indicated that transport developments will be linked to the housing projects with the involvement of property developers. For example, a new roundabout will be constructed for the Diószegi Road project, while the Vágóhíd Street overpass and the underpass on Sámsoni Road are planned to be implemented together with developments on Railway Line 100. He expressed hope that a change of government would not cause delays in these plans.

Source and photo credit: dehir.hu