Building boom at balaton – Fonyód and Siófok are driving construction

An electrician in Fonyód we contacted said that they are very busy. László Németh says that in recent years, construction has grown by at least 20-30% in the area. The Balaton shore is teeming with construction, with owners typically building holiday homes and family residences.

This Fonyód electrician is fully booked for months ahead, and can only think of taking on more work after that. He says the only thing stopping Balaton-based construction businesses from growing further is the lack of skilled workers, as it’s almost impossible to hire new staff. Most of those working near the shores of the Balaton are tradesmen who’ve been working there for years, and they’re pushed to the limit as it is.

We wanted to find out if the building authority can keep up with the issuing of new building permits at the Balaton and in other parts of the county. A few years ago they had a significant backlog, and now, too, the authority is working flat out to issue all building permits in time. The data that we requested indicates that construction volume has doubled in the county compared to 2014-2015.

Unfortunately, not all regions of the county have experienced this type of growth according to the Somogy County Government Office; growth has been focused on the Balaton shore, typically in the section between Fonyód and Siófok where most properties have been built in the past two years, typically apartment buildings of 50, 80 or 100 units each. At the same time, the number of building permits issued for holiday homes has also increased.

A closer look at the spread of construction projects across the county reveals some interesting points. The building authority of first instance issued a total of 24 residential building permits in 2014 and 2015 in Barcs, Csurgó, Nagyatád and Tab as well as in other areas that they are responsible for. During the same period, permits for 700 residential buildings were issued in Fonyód and Siófok and their immediate vicinity. In 2016 alone, 1,063 building permits were issued in Siófok and its surroundings. Developers filed more than half of all residential building reports in this geographical area.

In 2017, construction continued be concentrated in and around Siófok and Fonyód, and first instance reports, which are filed with local notaries, indicate that 73 percent of construction projects in the county were taking place in this area. An additional 303 construction permits were issued by the notary of the Siófok Joint Municipality Office in this year.