Stricter air quality rules hindering housing construction, provinces, municipalities say

Stricter European standards for clean air could bring housing construction in urban areas and regions with a lot of industry or livestock farms to a standstill, municipalities and provinces warn. They asked State Secretary Chris Jansen (Infrastructure and Water Management) for help so that they can continue to issue permits for this.

From 2030, provinces and municipalities are expected to take action if air pollution threatens to become too bad. However, they can only take local measures such as setting up environmental zones, zero-emission zones, banning wood fires, or encouraging the use of electric cars. According ot the provinces and municipalities, these are insufficient tools to improve air quality.

Because they also have to deal with air pollution that originates in other areas. The Interprovincial Consultation (IPO) and the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG), therefore, want the central government to help think about options to tackle major causes of air pollution at the source.

In the search for possible measures, the protection of the health of residents must be central, said Huib van Essen, the deputy in Utrecht and director of the IPO. “Clean air is a basic need and of great importance for public health. Air pollution can cause serious health problems, such as lung diseases and cardiovascular diseases.”

Van Essen calls the new European air quality standards “a necessary step in the right direction, but to achieve them, national plans and sufficient government funding are necessary.”

In 2050, even stricter standards will come into force that the Netherlands must comply with.