Chelyabinsk Region’s housing construction output proved greater than the country’s average in January through September 2008; the figures were quoted at the Top Priority National Projects Council’s meeting on October 21, 2008.

All in all, 937,000 square meters worth of housing were put up in the region over the nine months of 2008, which exceeded the figures for a year earlier by 20%. At the same time, the country’s average growth only came to 5% compared to 2007. Chelyabinsk Region’s is Ural Federal District’s No.2 in terms of housing construction, preceded only by Tyumen Region, with its Khanty-Mansiyskiy and Yamalo-Nenetskiy Autonomous Regions.

14,254 mortgages worth 15 billion RUR were offered by the regional banks to their customers in January-September 2008. 22,000 square meters worth of dilapidated buildings were pulled down, and 401 families were relocated, while 11,166 apartments got connected to the natural gas supply system.

In addition, 1,100 families of the public sector workers and 1,400 young families will be given subsidies from the region’s budget this year so that they can move to a better, bigger place. So far, the former have received 627 certificates, of which 68 have already been used to buy an apartment, while the latter have been given 338 certificates.

All in all, 5.1 billion RUR will be allocated from the regional and federal budgets to support the Affordable and Comfortable Housing to Russian Citizens project. An additional 9.3 billion RUR will be directed from the municipal budgets and other sources.

Governor Petr Sumin feels the region did quite well in terms of housing construction in the nine months of 2009 and expects Chelyabinsk Region to reach the target figures of 1.8 million square meters worth of housing in 2008. The Governor does admit the impressive figures stem mainly from the performance of several cities and districts such as Chelyabinsk, Magnitogorsk, and Miass. Petr Sumin asked for the housing commissioning data in every part of the region and hoped the delays in construction would be made up for, the spokesperson for the Governor reports.

First Deputy Governor Vladimir Dyatov said after the meeting was over that the region’s developers had promised to meet this year’s target figures.