Last year, 1,300 new-build homes were completed in Drenthe. That is 200 fewer than in 2022, according to new figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
Drenthe once again delivered the fewest new-build homes in the whole of the Netherlands. According to Statistics Netherlands, more than 73,000 new homes have been built nationally. This is slightly less than in 2022, when almost 75,000 new-build homes were the highest in ten years.
An important cause of the decline is the slow issuing of permits for construction sites by municipalities and provinces. From 2019 to 2021, the number of licensed new-build homes increased, but the figure has been decreasing since then.
In Drenthe, the decrease in new-build homes in 2023 was greatest in the municipalities of Westerveld and Coevorden. Contrary to the trend, more new houses were built in the municipalities of Meppel, Midden-Drenthe and Tynaarlo.
Last week, the Economic Institute for Construction (EIB) reported that housing construction production will decline further this year. This further jeopardizes the government’s intention to build 100,000 new homes annually to combat the housing shortage. The EIB does say that housing construction will increase again by 2025.