Housing construction sector wants to declare housing crisis, limit complaint procedures
The sale of newly built homes is picking up thanks to falling interest rates and rising incomes. But the actual building process is still hampered, including by complaint procedures from locals and environmental organizations, WoningBouwersNL told the Telegraaf. The trade association wants the government to declare a housing crisis.
“There is often talk about emergency measures in the asylum crisis. How big does the housing shortage have to become before we also declare a state of emergency on the housing market? The shortage is now 400,000 homes. When are we going to take serious action? At a shortage of 500,000 homes? Or 600,000?” WoningBouwersNL director Coen van Rooyen told the newspaper.
Among other things, the trade association would like the government to “turn off” several laws that allow complaint procedures to indefinitely delay construction projects. It also wants compensation for “completely unjustified objections.”
As things stand now, the target of building 100,000 homes per year will never be achieved, and the housing shortage will continue to grow, Van Rooyen said. Declaring a housing crisis would give the government the opportunity to “temporarily set aside laws and take action more quickly,” Van Rooyen said. “It is often said that it is legally difficult, but I think it is mainly politically difficult. Now, someone can first challenge a zoning plan up to the Council of State, and then, if that zoning plan is allowed to go ahead, that person can also challenge the building permit. That takes years.”
The housing builders also want the government to let go of its requirement that two-thirds of new construction fall into the affordable housing category - social housing, mid-range rentals, or owner-occupied homes up to 390,000 euros. “That makes it much less attractive for investors to invest money,” WoningBouwersNL researcher Jannes van Loon told the newspaper. ‘Now you can build a rental home of 15 square meters, but that is not accepted by any municipalities. Often strict building requirements are imposed that make everything more expensive.”
