South Holland 14.10.2023 – Small-scale construction on the edges of cities and villages can make a significant contribution to achieving the housing construction task, according to research by the EIB on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations/VRO.
The potential of building on the edges of cities and villages, the so-called ‘small street’, was examined.
This theoretical exploration examined, among other things, South Holland and two other provinces. The initial research shows that the sum of possible small projects on the edges of cities and villages offers a lot of potential.
In the province of South Holland this concerns 32,650 homes. This number has not yet shown what is possible in practice. EIB research shows that there are many opportunities to build in rural areas, but that things are still not getting off the ground. Minister De Jonge will therefore consult with the province to see together where an additional street can be built. Naturally, nature, the landscape and our world heritage are not overlooked.
The ministry wants to discuss with the provinces about offering space for small-scale construction on the edges of cities and villages, also because this could have a positive effect on the quality of life in small centers. This is also in line with the coalition programs of various provinces. Where necessary, this also requires adjustment of the rules in the provincial regulation. The aim is to make administrative agreements with the individual provinces this year, in conjunction with the administrative consultation on the progress of the housing deals.
The government is taking back control of public housing in order to tackle the construction task together with governments and parties. Especially now that demographic developments show that the Netherlands needs even more housing. We already need 981,000 new homes by 2030. This will increase even more between 2030 and 2040. This is a significant expansion of the housing construction task, and therefore more building locations are needed. If we look for new construction locations in the city center, we must pay attention to the quality of life and we must not use up too much of the open spaces. In addition, these numbers require looking further, such as at suburban construction locations. In this way, despite the headwind from, for example, higher interest rates on the suburban option, we can still make progress.