Priority to complaints speed up construction of 6,300 homes; Permits lagging behind

The construction of nearly 6,300 homes was finalized in July and August because the Council of State prioritized construction complaint cases, a spokesperson for the highest administrative court confirmed after a report in Trouw. But housing construction is still well below target, and the number of construction permits issued was again lower in the second quarter than a year earlier, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.

Since last summer, the Council of State has been expediting housing construction cases in an effort to speed up construction and reduce the housing shortage. This includes objections from locals. Since then, these procedures have lasted less than a year, while other environmental cases take more than 14 months, according to the administrative court. The Council of State did acknowledge that prioritizing construction cases could result in other legal cases taking longer. Earlier this year, the priority measure was extended until July 2026.

The spokesperson was unsure whether the number of expedited housing construction cases would increase. “We expect that legal cases will continue to come in. If you look at the trend over the past five years, we see no decrease in the number of cases.”

Since the priority measure took effect, the Council of State has prioritized over 300 construction cases, totaling over 68,000 homes. Rulings have already been made in 230 cases, totaling over 55,000 homes. Hearings have been held in around 25 cases involving 6,700 homes, but rulings are still pending.

According to the spokesperson, the measure was introduced due to the increased number and complexity of housing construction cases and staff shortages. The Council of State often rejected objections. Even if the court ruled in favor of the complainant, it did not always lead to the construction project being halted.

Despite this impulse, housing construction is still below the 100,000 homes built per year that the government is aiming for to alleviate the housing shortage. And that will remain the case for the foreseeable future, based on the number of housing construction permits being issued.

The number of building permits issued for homes fell to 20,000 in the second quarter, 3,300 fewer than the same period last year, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. And 1,500 permits for new homes were revoked in the past quarter for various reasons.

The number of building permits issued this year has fallen sharply after a recovery last year. According to experts, fewer building permit applications are being submitted, in part due to new tax measures for the rental market introduced by the previous government. This makes investing in new rental homes unprofitable.

A total of 16,000 new homes were completed in the second quarter, 1,100 fewer than in the same period last year.