Federal Noise Abatement Programme on the brink of collapse: the coexistence of housing and culture under pressure once again

Hamburg, 2 September 2026 – Noise complaints from local residents are among the most common reasons nationwide for the severe restrictions and closures of music clubs and festivals. In 2026, the Federal Noise Protection Programme was launched as the first nationwide pilot scheme to offer genuine solutions to this conflict. With around 3 million euros from the budget of the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Construction (BMWSB), selected music venues were supported in implementing noise abatement measures, thereby providing much-needed initial relief for cultural organisations, residential neighbourhoods and local urban planning.

Continuation of the new programme already under threat again

The BMWSB’s draft budget for 2027 does not, as things stand, provide for the continuation of the pilot programme. The scale of the nationwide need is demonstrated by the high number of 136 expressions of interest, totalling 16.1 million euros – meaning the programme was more than five times oversubscribed.

Even though cultural funding in Germany largely falls within the remit of the federal states and local authorities, the Federal Noise Protection Programme is not a general cultural funding scheme. It is an instrument of construction, urban development and pollution control policy. References to federal jurisdiction therefore fall short: Particularly where the federal government plays a decisive role in shaping construction developments through the setting of building law frameworks – for example, with the ‘Bau-Turbo’ initiative, the aim of redensification and new urban development objectives – the funding for resolving the resulting conflicts must not rest solely with the federal states and local authorities.

In line with the principle of ‘connexity’, the following must apply: whoever establishes new requirements and sets urban development objectives at federal level must also support the federal states and local authorities with the necessary funds to implement them. This applies in particular to noise protection, which creates the conditions necessary for (new) housing and the culture often already present in densely populated areas to be reconciled with one another on a long-term basis.

‘Cultural conservation areas’ explicitly mentioned in the coalition agreement

The coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and the SPD explicitly identifies the coexistence of housing and culture as a desired urban planning objective. It states: “We need ‘cultural conservation areas’ in which existing rights are protected and clubs are recognised as cultural venues under the Land Use Ordinance and taken into account in the Technical Guidelines on Noise Protection (TA Lärm). Furthermore, planning law and the TA Lärm are to be further developed to resolve conflicts of use between housing, commerce and agriculture.”

The continuation of the Federal Noise Protection Programme is a very concrete and proven means of putting this aspiration into practice and fulfilling this self-imposed objective.

The LiveMusikKommission, the BDKV and the Federal Association for Sociocultural Affairs therefore call on Federal Minister for Building Verena Hubertz and the governing parliamentary groups to support the continuation of the Federal Noise Protection Programme during the 2027 budget deliberations and to ensure that funding is provided in line with actual needs.

Noise abatement measures at music venues are a key tool for averting avoidable conflicts of use in towns and local authorities, safeguarding existing cultural venues and enabling mixed-use, vibrant urban development that is fair and accessible to younger people as well. The continuation and expansion of the programme would therefore send an important signal from the federal government to local authorities – promoting planning certainty, active cultural diversity and a sustainable coexistence of housing, culture and all generations.

Quotes from association representatives:

Christian Ordon, Managing Director of LiveMusikKommission e.V.:

“We find it incomprehensible that the continuation of the Federal Noise Protection Programme is being called into question – and even before the evaluation has taken place. The need is very clearly demonstrated by 136 expressions of interest nationwide and a requested funding amount of 16.1 million euros. The programme is not a voluntary supplementary grant for individual cultural organisations, but a concrete, proven and effective urban planning tool for the coexistence of housing and culture. Particularly when the federal government, as part of its ‘construction push’, exacerbates potential conflicts through increased housing construction and infill development, there is a need for reliable support to address these conflicts.”

Johannes Everke, Managing Director of the BDKV (Federal Association of the Concert and Events Industry):

“Cultural venues are what make cities and neighbourhoods liveable and attractive in the first place. They bring people together and generate significant added value far beyond the stages and events themselves. As cities grow and new residential developments encroach on existing cultural venues, we must not, of all things, jeopardise precisely what has contributed to the appeal of these locations over the years. Noise protection is an investment in vibrant cities where housing, culture and economic development can coexist sustainably.”

Georg Halupczok, Chair of the Board of the Federal Association for Sociocultural Affairs:

 “Socio-cultural centres are places of cultural diversity, encounter and democratic participation – and they are often situated in the heart of established neighbourhoods. Reliable noise protection creates the structural conditions necessary for housing and culture to coexist sustainably. The continuation of the Federal Noise Protection Programme is therefore an important signal for the preservation of vibrant, diverse and public-interest-oriented cultural venues in our towns and communities.”