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As part of its ongoing effort to address the Netherlands’ severe housing shortage, the government has chosen five new locations to help speed up construction. These sites are expected to provide about 25,000 homes.
Where the new sites are
On 9 November, Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan, the D66 minister for housing and spatial planning, announced the five municipalities: Assen, Best, the Walcheren area of Zeeland (where Middelburg, Vlissingen, and Veere are working together), Roosendaal, and Zuidplas. Together, these sites aim to provide homes for over 50,000 people who are currently searching for a place to live.
The ministry estimates there will be about 5,000 to 6,000 homes in Assen (in the Kloosterveen, Stadskwartier, and Zuidoost areas), around 3,500 in Best mainly near the railway station, about 5,000 to 6,000 in and around Middelburg, Vlissingen, and Veere on Walcheren, a similar number in Roosendaal’s railway zone, and about 6,000 in a new village called Cortelande in Zuidplas, Zuid-Holland.
What “large-scale national housing site” means
With this designation, these five locations join the government’s list of large-scale national housing sites (grootschalige woningbouwlocaties). At these sites, the central government takes a more active role to speed up construction, instead of leaving it only to local authorities. There are now 31 such sites, which together are expected to deliver over 400,000 homes by 2040. The ministry says these sites make up just over 40 percent of the homes planned in the coming years. The remaining 60 percent will come from smaller projects, such as converting existing buildings or adding homes on the edges of towns and villages.
This marks a milestone for Drenthe and Zeeland, as these are their first large-scale national sites. Now, every Dutch province has at least one. The minister explained that she considered factors like employment, electricity grid capacity, and geographic distribution when selecting the locations. She said, “Too many people are looking for a place to live. That is why we must build at full speed and carry out plans more quickly.”
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No extra infrastructure money this time
Unlike some earlier announcements, this time there is no extra government funding for roads and railways. The ministry explained that these five locations are already well connected, so no additional money is needed for accessibility. This is different from some previous sites, where the government was criticised for not setting aside funds for necessary infrastructure.
The context, and the criticism
This announcement is part of the government’s larger goal to build 100,000 homes a year to reduce the shortage, a target it has not yet met. These fast-track designations are a key part of the plan, which is overseen by a task force created earlier this year to speed up housebuilding.
The decision has also faced some scepticism. Commentators pointed out that many of these “new” locations are based on plans that local governments have worked on for years. For example, Zuidplas has discussed building at Cortelande for a long time, so the federal designation mainly adds national support and urgency rather than introducing a new idea. The Cortelande project is especially debated. As broadcaster NOS noted, the planned village is at one of the lowest points in the Netherlands, raising concerns about water safety and long-term flood risk. Supporters argue that the site is well located between towns and transport links, and that the urgent need for housing means viable sites should not be left unused.
These plans and designations have a target date of 2040, not homes being built right now. The real test of the policy will be how quickly construction actually happens in the coming years.