Factory full of circular flex homes is gathering dust: too many rules or no space?

Nothing is too crazy for pioneer Edwin ter Velde. He and his wife Liesbeth traveled across the South Pole for a month in a solar-powered all-terrain vehicle. a voc ship to sail the world, and he plunges into it building tiny houses to tackle the housing crisis. And all made from recycled waste plastic.

But he who normally moves mountains, is now at a loss. The houses are finished, but there is not yet a place to place them. And so the factory threatens to close in February. “I have to make a decision now. That means that the boys will go back on welfare and the houses here will be gathering dust.”

It is a hell of a dilemma for Ter Velde. He would prefer to place them somewhere right now. But then it will be enforced and it will go to court. “That goes beyond our goal. The real essence that we stand for as a foundation are the socially relevant themes, which tackle the transition to an inclusive, sustainable living environment, as an experiment. Well, this is a successful experiment. But we will get there not off.”

Build with the content of your click

Two years ago he sets his plan for the circular mini-homes on paper. The homes will be off-grid (self-sufficient ed.), made from waste, with solar panels and their own power storage and water filter system. Intended for temporary residence on undeveloped (construction) terrain. There is even already a location in mind.

The Platform Housing Corporations West Friesland (PWW) and municipalities are enthusiastic. Housing corporation Het Grootslag sees a golden opportunity in the tiny houses and commissions the foundation to build 16 of them.

And it worked. The latter is now being phased out. Edwin: “They are completely finished and available immediately. If you come here with a crane, you can place them tonight and you can live in them.”

Locations

“Where there is a will, there is a way. But where there is a way, there is no will,” director Hans Kröger of housing association Het Grootslag summarizes the situation. “I depend on available municipal land, so on the municipalities that make it available. I have already called on the alderman in Medemblik to place them around the town hall, there is a lot of space there. But that message has not been adopted.”

He is also talking to developers, but often gets a ‘no’. “There are so many plans in the pipeline where no construction will take place in the first few years, let’s put the houses on those locations so that they can remain there for 10 to 15 years. Then move on to the next place.”

He is currently working on four locations. Kröger: “Of which at least two places are very promising.”

‘No question of putting it down’

But that is too late for the foundation. Ter Velde has engaged all possible experts to think along with him, from structural engineers, organization experts to lawyers. “It has been funded, we are looking for the grounds and doing the legal research. And we are being hindered.”

Municipality of Hoorn does not want to respond in front of camera. But let it be known that the reason why it is taking longer than expected is obvious. “Even with temporary buildings, it must be possible to build the houses from a planning perspective. A spatial procedure will therefore have to be conducted and gas, water and electricity must be installed. In a spatial procedure there is also room for local residents to participate, the The province can think something of it, that takes a lot of time. Unfortunately, it is not a matter of putting it down and removing it after a few years.”

Human size

Edwin: “We have had all kinds of aldermen, municipalities from far and wide visit. When they are here, they are genuinely amazed and inspired, but as soon as they are back behind their desk, it falls silent. There are all excuses why it is difficult, but the fundamental right that people have – namely to live – is ignored here. We provide building plots, we have done all the necessary investigations from pollution to noise pollution, but nothing is happening.”

Free fall

Is it necessary to destroy what has been built up in those few years? Edwin is very concerned about his employees who have made great strides to reintegrate in that time. Most young people who build the houses do not have their own place to live.

“Some have to leave here in time in the hope that they can get a place in the night shelter. I know the pain behind it. I’m really going to do everything I can that they don’t end up in free fall. This is so inexplicable and unfair So we are experiencing this in the Netherlands.”