There will be no temporary homes at the sports park along the Boerenlaan in Smilde. The municipality of Midden-Drenthe wanted to build thirty, but research shows that the costs are too high.
This is mainly due to the adjustments to the traffic that have to be made. There should be a new intersection towards the houses. An extra path is needed for pedestrians towards the sports hall. The area where the houses would be built would also have to be paved and the installation of gas, water and electricity would take a long time.
The costs for Midden-Drenthe will then amount to approximately 1.3 million euros. A considerable investment that the municipality considers unwise as it concerns temporary accommodation.
The temporary homes are intended for starters, people in divorce and status holders who need housing quickly. The sports park came out as the best location according to the municipality, because it is a place near shops, schools and public transport.
The intention was that the houses would then remain standing for about ten to fifteen years. In the Netherlands there is a serious shortage of housing. Affordable homes in both the owner-occupied and rental sectors are particularly difficult to find. Smilde is mainly struggling with a shortage of rental housing.
There are still possibilities to reduce the costs for the temporary houses at the Boerenlaan location. This would reduce costs by at most 15 percent. Another option is to investigate new locations where the homes could be built.
The municipality of Midden-Drenthe is aiming for the latter. In the near future, therefore, research will be carried out at various locations. Promising places are presented to the college. According to the municipality, the desire to realize temporary houses in Smilde is still present.