A new public housing development in Ljubljana called Rakova Jelša II has been officially opened. The EUR 22.5 million project includes five apartment buildings with 156 non-profit rental flats and a stand-alone multi-purpose building with community facilities.

The project's investor is the Ljubljana Housing Fund, which obtained a long-term loan from the National Housing Fund and a loan from SID Banka, the state-owned export and development bank.

"One of the main commitments of the current government is to set up systems that, based on social solidarity, will provide the basic necessities of life for all, regardless of where we live, where we come from and how much money we have in our wallets," Minister for a Solidarity-based Future Simon Maljevac said.

Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković said that these were new homes for those who need them most, adding that the national housing fund might soon get a permit to build new flats in the city's Podutik borough.

The Rakova Jelša II flats are one-, two- or three-bedroom units, ranging in size from 30 to 75 square metres, and all have already been rented out.

On the southern outskirts of Ljubljana, the area where Rakova Jelša II was built, another two developments are planned in the near future - Rakova Jelša I and Rakova Jelša III with a total of 154 flats.

Construction of a new development in the Zelena Jama neighbourhood near the BTC shopping district which will include 88 flats is also expected to start soon.

But by far the largest project in the capital right now is the Novi Center project in Povšetova Street, east of city centre, where 361 non-profit flats are expected to be built. Works are scheduled to start in early 2025.