Speaking to Monaco-Matin, Minister of State Christophe Mirmand addressed criticism from Monaco’s elected officials over a perceived lack of clarity on future housing delivery, laying out the government’s plans for a second national housing programme aimed at meeting the Principality’s long-term needs.
Mirmand acknowledged that National Council members had raised concerns earlier this year about the absence of visibility on state housing deliveries beyond 2036, but pushed back on the idea that housing wasn’t a top government priority. He described access to housing as an absolute right for Monégasques, one shaped by the pressures of operating within such a geographically small country and by the cost burden many Monégasque households face. He noted that the first national housing plan, launched in 2019, delivered 633 new state-owned homes, with a second plan now underway to cover the 2026-2032 period, targeting roughly 435 additional units.
Asked whether that would be enough to meet demand, Mirmand cited figures from Monaco’s statistics institute, IMSEE, showing 4,380 state-owned homes currently exist in the Principality. Based on projected population growth, he said Monaco would need around 5,260 such homes by 2040, meaning roughly 880 additional units over the next fifteen years, a target he described as the government’s baseline ambition, with scope to move faster or further depending on circumstances. Broken down, he said that would translate to somewhere between 30 and 80 new homes needing to be built each year over that period, with the variation depending on the availability of land and how quickly projects can be developed.
On feasibility, Mirmand pointed to the legal, technical and budgetary complexity involved in mobilising resources at this scale, noting that more than €1.6 billion in investment funding had already been committed to the national housing plan between 2019 and 2026, excluding land costs, representing a substantial share of the state budget. He reaffirmed that housing would remain an absolute government priority going forward, while distancing himself from the idea of unlimited spending regardless of cost, stressing that the government remained mindful of public spending and focused on keeping project costs under control over the long term.
Mirmand acknowledged that the pace of delivery would likely need to accelerate to hit these targets, suggesting a third national plan may ultimately be needed beyond 2032. He said the government’s commitment was to ensure the necessary budgetary resources appear in the 2027 budget bill, with funding for already-identified projects continuing in the years that follow.
On specific projects currently underway, Mirmand detailed progress across several sites. The Bel Air development will see its first tower deliver housing from early 2028, with a second tower following by the end of that year and a third to come after. The Larvotto-Supérieur project, comprising 35 units, is expected to deliver in the final quarter of 2028. Groundwork has also begun on the Luciole project, expected to yield around thirty apartments, alongside the Hector Otto project, expected to deliver between 70 and 90 units, and the Les Lierres/Nathalie operation, which will also contribute new housing.
Asked whether existing projects could be further optimised through additional height or floor space, Mirmand pointed to Bel Air as an example, where the original plan for 197 units was later revised upward through additional storeys, a change he said reflected the government’s broader approach of maximising site potential wherever possible, while preserving urban quality, sunlight access and overall livability. He noted that making such changes becomes more difficult and costly once a project has progressed too far.
On whether smaller developments, such as the 27-unit Luciole project, are worth pursuing compared to larger-scale housing schemes, Mirmand argued that every project matters, however modest in scale, since even a small number of new homes can mean long-awaited housing access for the Monégasque families involved.
Turning to the allocation system for state housing, Mirmand confirmed the government is looking to reform how vacant units are filled. Under the current system, an annual allocation committee means a vacancy arising shortly after that meeting can sit unfilled for months until the next cycle. He said the government’s ambition, responsive to concerns raised by the National Council, was to introduce more frequent allocation committees, potentially two, three or four times a year, allowing vacant units to be reassigned more quickly while still respecting an established order of priority. He said this more fluid approach to vacancy management would become one of the responsibilities of Monaco’s forthcoming domanial housing agency.
Asked about the La Rousse project, a large-scale urban redevelopment effort sometimes described as rebuilding the city within itself, Mirmand explained that several developments are already planned as part of a broader urban planning initiative set to unfold over several years starting in 2030. Rather than approaching the area plot by plot, he said the government wanted to step back and think holistically about the future neighbourhood, incorporating residential buildings, spaces for economic activity, public services and schools, all geared toward improving quality of life for future residents. He said an open call for proposals had already narrowed the field to three international urban planning and architecture firms, whose work will help shape the neighbourhood’s guiding principles before more detailed zoning and building rights are determined, ensuring development follows a coherent urban vision rather than being dictated solely by private developers’ land opportunities. One of the three firms will ultimately be selected to help refine the project further in the coming months.
Finally, addressing the government’s recently unveiled ambitions to “renature the city” and expand green space across the Principality, Mirmand linked the initiative directly to the increasing frequency of heatwaves along the Mediterranean coast and across Europe more broadly. He said future decades would require finding architectural solutions that allow city residents to maintain quality of life even as temperatures continue to rise significantly, an objective he said had been set directly by the Sovereign in the roadmap handed to him upon taking office. He clarified that the proposals put forward so far by landscape architecture firm Grant Associates, commissioned by the government to explore renaturation concepts for Monaco, represent ideas rather than confirmed projects, with the government still to decide which, if any, will move forward.