Speed up housing construction

The voters have spoken. Here and there this has led to major shifts in municipal councils, but also to relatively minor changes in some municipalities. In Nuenen there are indeed shifts, but it does not seem that too great a change in power is on the horizon. It is to be hoped that unanimity and cooperation will increase in the new council of Nuenen. In recent years, this has not been the strongest side of the local politicians. At the same time, the people of Nuenen hope that this cooperation will result in Nuenen really moving forward with house building on a significant scale. And that it does not fall into the trap of its large neighbor, Eindhoven, of imposing excessively detailed requirements and regulations on project developers. As a result, plans often turn out to be too expensive, have to be recalculated and changed, and new objections arise, resulting in delays and increased costs.

The further increase in costs will come anyway. Nitrogen crisis and coronapandemic have already led to many delays and price increases. The war in Ukraine is causing much suffering in that country and, of course, puts our problems and bottlenecks in a completely different light. However, there is no denying that this war is also having a negative impact on the supply and pricing of construction materials. The increase in fuel prices and the sharp rise in inflation also have a negative impact on construction in our country. The implementation of the construction ambitions will therefore come under great pressure. It is of the utmost importance that these ambitions are maintained and that the construction sector does not grind to a halt, as it did during the previous crisis. In the agreements made by the nine municipalities in the Eindhoven Urban Area (SGE) about housing construction, Nuenen faces the task of realizing 2,900 homes in the period up to 2040. For the period until 2030 there is now a planning capacity of 1,816, which is about 200 per year. In 2019 100 homes were realized in Nuenen, in 2020 166, according to the report of SGE. So it is not yet easy to arrive at 200 per year. Lengthy procedures and fear on the part of administrators to take decisions often contribute to delays. Developer Dura Vermeer has already called for “emergency legislation” to break the deadlock on the housing market. In any case, it is to be hoped that any changes in the composition of the Municipal Executive will lead to a delay.