It will be quite a challenge to keep up the momentum in housing construction in our province. According to provincial administrator Erik Ronnes, there are indeed enough building plans in Brabant, but at the same time the construction pace is under pressure: “A major task.”
On Thursday afternoon, the province agreed with Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Housing that 13,000 houses will be built every year until 2030. Two-thirds of these must be affordable houses, with a rental price of up to a maximum of one thousand euros or a purchase price of up to 355,000 euros. Thirty percent must be social rental housing.
That target of 13,000 was achieved in 2020 and 2021, but the question is whether those numbers will also be realistic in the coming years. Construction costs have risen enormously and construction personnel are hard to find.
“These new houses will be there by 2030.”
“It is a major task,” admits Deputy Erik Ronnes of Ruimte en Wonen, “and we cannot do it without the help of the government. It is simply unbearable now how many people are looking for an affordable home.”
Still, he has high hopes. “These new houses will be there in 2030. We have shown over the past two years that we can do it and there is enough space to build in Brabant.”
How should that be done? “For example, by converting buildings that are no longer used for their old function into new houses in a smart way.”
That sounds promising, but for now the numbers are hard. In the past period, for example, far fewer permits have been applied for and fewer construction projects have been started. As a result, the number of houses will probably only increase by 10,000 next year.
“We believed for too long that the market would solve it.”
That while the population has grown by 30,000 people in the last twelve months. This is mainly due to the arrival of asylum seekers, status holders, foreign students and Ukrainian refugees.
And so Minister Hugo de Jonge for Housing also sees the threats to the objective. “There are headwinds from all sides. Interest rates are rising, inflation is high, consumer confidence is falling… But then the only message is: kick harder.”
The fact that this catch-up race is now necessary, according to the minister, is due to the policy of recent years. “Too little has been built, so now everyone knows someone who is waiting for a house. We have believed for too long that the market would solve it. That is why it is now time for us to take back control.”
Incidentally, De Jonge added that the financial support that Ronnes desired will be provided. For example, the government is allocating 7.5 billion euros to build roads around future houses.