In Gilze en Rijen, hard work is being done on the preparation of new neighborhood ‘between De Leijen’. However, half of the houses may not be inhabited for the time being. The reason: the expected nitrogen emissions of cars from future residents exceed the permitted standards and is therefore harmful to nearby Natura 2000 areas. Only the province can issue a nature permit for this, but it is not yet on the table.
In 2029 there must be 375 homes in ‘Between De Leijen’. At present, only 175 homes in the northern part of the neighborhood can actually be inhabited. The remaining 200 homes in the southern part may only be built and involved as soon as a solution has been found for the nitrogen problems.
Yet the project is not standing still. The preparatory work, such as preparing the land, are in full swing. “A contractor is now commissioning the municipality to construct (construction) roads, sewerage and water features,” says a municipal spokesperson. “No permit is required for the work that is now taking place.”
New nitrogen calculations
The first homes will be delivered from the beginning of 2027. Developer Ballast Nedam has already started selling and prepares the permit application for actual housing. However, not everything runs according to plan.
In May, after new nitrogen calculations, the municipality discovered that the total emissions of future residents are too high. Electric construction helps, but the nitrogen emissions of the daily traffic of residents and visitors remains the bottleneck. This is due to the southern part of the neighborhood, with 200 extra homes. “You cannot oblige people to buy a Tesla,” says Alderman Corné Machielsen NRC. “If something like that could have been, we would have done that.”
Remarkable
The situation is remarkable: preparations are being made for the construction of houses that should not be inhabited for the time being. Yet, according to project leader Paul Kieboom, it will not get so far that real houses are being built that remain empty. “Builders will not get started with homes that they cannot sell because no one is allowed to live in it,” he says in NRC. In any case, the interest is: an information evening attracted about three hundred interested people who wanted to sign up for a home.
Because the preparatory work does not require a permit, it has been decided to construct pipes and cables in the southern part. The expectation is that homes will eventually come there. Yet that is no guarantee and it could be that residents of the northern part will soon look out on a wasteland. “Then it is just,” says Alderman Machielsen sober. “If we can no longer build locations, then we can really forget the housing task in the Netherlands.”
No decision -making authority
The province of Noord-Brabant is currently hardly any nature permits. Many construction and road projects are therefore stuck. Municipalities have no decision -making power. “We are looking for solutions for the 200 homes in the southern half,” says the municipal spokesperson. “Until then, the land is not being sold.” Alderman Machielsen hopes for clearer rules and more room to compensate for nitrogen, for example through the purchase of farms or companies, or a smoother calculation method for nitrogen emissions.