Some 34 developers, construction companies, lobby groups, housing corporations and tenants’ associations in the Netherlands have joined forces in an effort to tackle the chronic housing shortage.

The group says one million new homes need to be built in the the Netherlands in the next 10 years to meet demand – a call first made by the Holland Metropole alliance in 2017.

The Netherlands will elect a new parliament on March 17 and the organisations hope their plans will form the backbone of the next government’s strategy on housing.

Current government strategy involves realising 75,000 new homes a year though new build and converting other buildings, but the target was missed in 2020 and the same will happen this year.

Greenfield sites

Much of the new alliance’s strategy involves building new housing developments on greenfield land, rather than focusing on small, inner city locations.

‘We are going to build a lot more homes in locations which are easy to develop,’ said Desiree Uitzetter, chairwoman of developers’ organisation Neprom and area development chief at Holland Metropole member BPD. ‘We are going to build mixed neighbourhoods to suit every pocket and every type of household.’

The size of the challenge ahead means that everyone involved – the private sector, local government, housing corporations and consumer organisations – will have to be involved,’ she said. ‘They are all participating, and that makes me optimistic,’ Uitzetter said.

Minister

Housing minister Kajsa Ollongren has not yet reacted directly to the alliance’s call but told newspaper Trouw in an interview that making up the shortfall in homes is a long-term project.

In total, her ministry has pumped €4bn into boosting the size of the Netherlands’ housing stock, she said.

‘The best way to eradicate the shortage is to build more,’ she told the paper. ‘That is crucial. The shortage is across the board, from social housing to expensive owner-occupied properties. We have flicked all the switches – tax, subsidies, rules and regulations – and done what we can.’

Actieagenda Wonen (pdf)