It is a crisis, also in Brabant. There is a huge shortage of homes, the nitrogen crisis is hindering permitting, the power grid is overloaded and nature and water are under great pressure. Two years ago, the provincial coalition resolved, among other things, to avert these crises. Halfway through their administrative period, the deputies are making good progress, but real progress is lacking on crucial points.
In 2023, the deputies on behalf of coalition parties VVD, GroenLinks, PvdA, SP, D66 and Lokaal Brabant announced their plans for Brabant. The main points were to avert the nitrogen crisis, restore nature and ensure enough clean water. Every year the province prepares the bill in the Administrative Report, which the Provincial Council will discuss this Friday.
Living
Between 2023 and 2035, 165,000 new homes must be built in Brabant to combat the housing shortage and accommodate the expected population growth. That amounts to 13,500 houses per year. Brabant will not reach this number this year either: it is estimated that between 12,000 and 12,500 homes will be added. At least a thousand too few.
Still, this number is better than in 2024, when 10,800 homes were built. A deficit that the province still has to make up. According to the province, it is not possible to build enough homes for various reasons. For example, the nitrogen crisis, the overcrowded power grid, legal procedures and high construction and energy costs cause problems.
Nitrogen
Over the past two years, Brabant has ended up further and further into the nitrogen swamp. In 2023, and actually before that, it started significantly limiting the granting of permits for projects that provide nitrogen in vulnerable nature. The granting of permits has now virtually come to a standstill, because unused nitrogen space in permits may not be filled.
Minister of Agriculture Wiersma (BBB) has been working on measures for a long time, but these have been delayed. Brabant therefore created its own ‘Brabant Development Approach Nitrogen 2.0’. The latter is expected to reduce nitrogen emissions, but not nearly enough to fully restart permitting.
Nitrogen representative Dirken (VVD) previously said that she expects to be able to issue permits again next year. But then the government must come up with a strong package of measures.
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Minister Wiersma is mainly pinning her hopes on raising the lower limit for nitrogen emissions. Entrepreneurs who remain below that limit do not need a permit for their plans. But there are serious doubts about that plan. “The risk is that the scope for granting permits may change again after a judge considers it,” the province writes in the Administrative Report. The Council of State has also pointed out this risk.
The lack of a package of measures will have major consequences, as can be read in the report. “An additional risk is that if there is an insufficient national package of measures, additional enforcement or revocation requests will be submitted. This could lead to forced enforcement of, for example, the PAS detectors or having to revoke permits.”
Water
For those who think that the nitrogen crisis is serious, the Water Framework Directive will be a rude awakening. By 2027, all water in Europe must meet strict quality and quantity requirements. If you do not comply with this, you can expect fines, penalties and problems with licensing. The province does not expect to be able to meet the requirements on time, despite a significant package of measures.