Netherlands adds five sites to accelerated housing plan for 25,000 homes

The Dutch government has designated five more large housing sites for accelerated development, with plans for about 25,000 homes by 2040. The projects are in Assen, Best, the Walcheren area, Roosendaal and Zuidplas, and will take the national programme to 31 locations.

Housing minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan said the state would help municipalities speed up construction, including by removing obstacles and providing financial support. The government says more than 50,000 people seeking homes could find one across the five planned areas.

The projects include 5,000 to 6,000 homes in Assen, around 3,500 in Best, 5,000 to 6,000 across Middelburg, Vlissingen and Veere, and 5,000 to 6,000 in Roosendaal. Zuidplas is planned as a new village of about 6,000 homes by 2040.

The five sites are among 31 locations intended to deliver more than 400,000 homes by 2040. The government says the locations together account for over 40% of the homes needed in the coming years, and that plans across larger and smaller sites are sufficient to build 100,000 homes a year. That is a stated construction ambition; the announcement does not mean the homes have been built or that work has begun at each site.

The full list of 31 locations is due to appear in the government’s forthcoming National Spatial Strategy. Officials say the new sites were selected with regard to jobs, capacity on the electricity grid and geographical spread. They say no additional national funding for transport access is needed at these locations.