Plans for expensive rental homes in Rotterdam are scrapped for more affordable housing

The plans for the construction of expensive rental homes in the Tweebosbuurt in Feijenoord, Rotterdam have been scrapped. Instead, more new-build homes will be built in the social sector and middle sector, the municipality reported.

The original plans had 101 expensive rental homes set for construction. They will now all be moved in order to facilitate the construction of 160 affordable homes. The municipality and the housing corporation Hef Wonen think that this change fits into the need for affordable housing. Rotterdam, just like the rest of the country, is in dire need of affordable housing.

In the altered plans, there will be 40 social rental homes, mainly for elderly people, and 123 rental homes in the middle segment and another four free sector homes.

The increase is achievable because parts of some of the homes will be made smaller. Construction of this will start in the second half of this year.

The demolition of many hundreds of pre-war social housing units, intended to make way for new construction, has caused great unrest among residents of the Tweebosbuurt in recent years. They demonstrated because, despite the promise of being allowed to return, they would face much higher housing costs.

The demolition plans even caught the attention of the United Nations, who complained about the demolition. A UN rapporteur visited the Tweebosbuurt in 2023, while the demolition was in full swing.