Lottery to live: 1700 people fight for 41 houses in Hensbroek

While thick Thursday evening drops find their way down, many people find shelter in village house De Oude School in Hensbroek. The information evening about upcoming new construction in the village is popular. Not only interested people, but also villagers come to take a look with curiosity. “Let’s see what’s coming,” it sounds.

The focus is on Pioenhof, the project in which a total of 46 homes – including 10 smart homes and 5 rental homes – will be built on Julianaweg. And as if Hensbroek is suddenly the promised land, no less than 1,752 times interest has been shown in one of the 41 owner-occupied houses. Residents of Hensbroek have priority in the allocation, then residents from the municipality of Koggenland and then the other enthusiasts.

Great housing shortage

The housing shortage is also great in Koggenland. For many people there is hardly an affordable home available, resulting in a run on available homes or new homes to be built. Marella de Bruin is involved with Pioenhof as a sales manager of real estate developer Timpaan. “The website has been up and running for half a year and since then we have seen that the number of interested parties has grown considerably, to over 1,700 in total. We also see situations like this in other projects.”

De Bruin: “That mainly tells me that there is a huge need for housing in the municipality of Koggenland. You can also hear that from the stories on this evening. I just spoke to someone who had a question for a 33-year-old son, who also wants to out of the house. In the end, everyone wants to have their own house. The solution? Build more affordable houses. So that starters also get a chance.”

Lisa Beers and Bauk Velberg own a house, a terraced house in Heerhugowaard. They have also come to Hensbroek and are very interested. “We have been looking for a larger home for several years, but without success,” says Bauk. “We really like this project because it is very spacious. We are very enthusiastic about the garden.”

When they hear that the competition is huge, they are shocked. “1,752 interested parties? That is a lot. That does make you lose heart. On the other hand, it is not very surprising, because there are not so many such projects in the area. Let’s hope that we be happy.”