Put those houses there more!

Housing Minister De Jonge made agreements with the provinces to build more than 900,000 homes in the period up to and including 2030. Of these, as many as 130,000 would be located in Brabant. Of the total number of homes, two-thirds should be “affordable,” both in the rental and owner-occupied categories. The minister does foresee “headwinds and resistance,” but his constant motto then is, “If there is more headwind, pedal harder. I fear that just pedaling harder is not going to help, because the headwinds will prove to be a rock-hard storm. Some housing experts are already talking about an illusion or a plan built on quicksand. At the very least, De Jonge will have to develop (or have developed) a Formula 1 speed to even come close to the desired numbers.

That those numbers are desirable, there is no disagreement about that. But it is a pity that the agreements between the state and the province did not include any check on the reality of the situation. And many newspapers have already widely reported the obstacles to realizing these ambitions. The fight for space and slow decision-making, for example, including endless appeals. Or the scarcity of materials and personnel, causing their costs to skyrocket. Then we have the rise in interest rates and inflation that play tricks on the market. Rising energy and fuel prices also drive up construction costs further. And then there is the nitrogen problem. If the “construction exemption” for nitrogen expires – there are proceedings pending before the Council of State – it will be even more difficult to get a permit in some areas.

Cooperation of the authorities with all market parties – national, regional and local – is therefore necessary to achieve realization. The market needs to be involved in working out all those regional housing deals that still follow the minister’s agreement with the provinces. No one will say, “Oh, just put those houses there.” But everyone must realize that the average lead time for a building plan (somewhere between five and 10 years) is far too long. Therefore, we must now look with the market for places where work can begin quickly. At the same time, other, more difficult plans must be put into a more realistic time frame. Otherwise it will remain a matter of air cycling instead of pedaling harder in the face of headwinds.