A new blow to housing construction: half a million homes are at risk

The development of nearly half a million homes is at risk due to sustainability requirements imposed by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. This was reported by De Telegraaf newspaper. The requirements mean that only 30,000 homes can be built in certain areas, while half a million homes are actually planned to be built there.

The Economic Institute of Construction also reached this conclusion in a statement to the newspaper. “It turns out that only 30,000 homes out of these 500,000 can be built without radical measures. It is clear that this map will have consequences for housing construction,” says Taco van Hoek, director of the institute.

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The institute reaches this conclusion because of the map recently published by the ministry. It lists sites that face additional environmental requirements that developers must comply with and which local authorities must monitor. Van Hook told the newspaper that the consequences were dire. “Housing will become more expensive and more scarce.” Regions that will be affected by the stricter requirements include the Randstad, Flevo and Nordostpolder. Interestingly, there appears to be a large area to the east, south and northeast.

Blow after blow

This would be a new blow to housing construction, which is already very slow. Last month, CBS announced that several homes under construction were experiencing delays in completion. In addition, far fewer permits are granted to build new homes. For example, only 55,000 permits were granted in 2023, a 15 percent decrease compared to the previous year.