News item | 29-05-2026 | 13:30
The government is introducing a so-called land bank to be able to take more control over housing construction, energy and defense, among other things. Through strategic purchases of land, the government can build up a portfolio of land for exchange, making land available more quickly and cheaply for important social functions. Minister Boekholt-O’Sullivan of Housing and Spatial Planning has informed the House of Representatives about the intention to set up a land bank. A final decision will be made in early 2027.
Minister Boekholt – O’Sullivan: “With this land bank we can realize initiatives more quickly in the Netherlands, such as building new houses, barracks and providing space for companies and nature. By purchasing land ourselves with this new bank, we can use and utilize the space in our country faster, smarter and cheaper. This is desperately needed for breakthroughs on all fronts.”
The government currently already has various land banks, such as the National Land Bank (NGB) of LVVN, which focuses on agricultural and nature objectives, and the exchange land portfolio of the Central Government Real Estate Agency (RVB). This portfolio of approximately 2,000 to 2,500 hectares is already being used for urgent national tasks, but is too small and not well distributed across the country. The new land bank would become a larger, nationally covered exchange land portfolio that complements these existing initiatives.
Work out conditions
The aim is to set up the land bank in phases and to start with exchange lands for major government tasks. The RVB’s existing exchange land portfolio is the starting point. In order for the land bank to operate successfully, the minister is developing various conditions, such as the organization and frameworks for the purchase and sale of land, the required funding and cooperation with existing sectoral or provincial land banks.