Binnenhof renovation to cost half a billion euros

The best option for the necessary renovation of the Binnenhof is to close the whole complex for 5.5 years and temporarily move the parliament. This option will cost between 500 and 600 million euros. This is according to former minister Liesbeth Spies in a letter to Minister Stef Blok of Housing and National Services, NOS reports. Blok asked Spies to look at the two options for the renovation - either the Eerste and Tweede Kamer, Senate and lower house of parliament, stays where they are while the Binnenhof is being renovated, or they move temporarily so that the work can be completed more quickly. In the first option, the renovation will take up to 13 years. If the Binnenhof is emptied out, it will take about 5.5 years. "This variant is technically and financially more attractive", Spies wrote. She advises that that Blok now decides how the renovation will be tackled and then to look at hat exactly will be renovated, step by step. The minimum requirements for the renovation of the Binnenhof is that the complex must once again comply with legislation and regulations. Should Blok decide to take Spies' recommended option, the Eerste and Tweede Kamer will be moved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will be freed next year because the ministry is moving.