Cabinet is considering forcibly designating construction sites

Due to the housing shortage, the cabinet is considering forcibly designating construction sites. “If there is too long a discussion about whether a location is suitable, it may be necessary to make a decision sooner or later,” said Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Housing) in an interview with De Telegraaf.

According to the CDA director, the arrival of Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers with a residence permit has made it even more complicated to solve the problems on the housing market. “There are many groups that need housing. The task was already large and urgent, and it has now become even larger and more urgent.” He even fears that the planned 100,000 extra homes per year will not be enough. “It is not inconceivable that it should be more, especially to provide temporary housing.”

The minister says it is difficult to estimate how many Ukrainians will need housing in the longer term. “The numbers are very difficult to estimate. Care that is suitable for the longer term is necessary anyway. And then of course housing,” says De Jonge. He is thinking of solutions in the form of converting office buildings into houses and prefab homes, he tells the newspaper.