Noord Holland, Amsterdam clash over 10,000-home plan in Westpoort
The province of Noord-Holland and Amsterdam are in a renewed conflict over plans for about 10,000 homes in Haven-Stad, as the city pushes housing development in the harbor area while the province wants to protect the Westelijk Havengebied industrial zone and restrict residential expansion, Het Parool reports.
A draft provincial spatial vision, now open for review, reportedly states that the Westelijk Havengebied must remain a designated industrial area of provincial importance in the long term, meaning the province—not the city—would retain primary control over development decisions there.
At the center of the dispute are environmental buffer zones around industrial sites that limit emissions, dust, and odor. The province says these zones are necessary to protect industrial activity and argues that new housing cannot be built in ways that reduce space or operating room for businesses.
The province says Westpoort, including Sloterdijk, is a key business area with space for about 3,000 companies and 49,000 jobs and is one of the few locations suited for heavy industry, circular economy projects, and the energy transition. It argues that the area must be preserved for those functions.
Amsterdam, meanwhile, plans to build about 70,000 homes in Haven-Stad. Most of those homes would be outside Westpoort but still fall within environmental and safety zones linked to the harbor, which the province says must remain decisive in planning decisions.
To reduce conflict between housing and industry, Noord-Holland wants a greater separation between residential areas and industrial sites and intends to concentrate heavy industry, including hydrogen production linked to the energy transition, in Westpoort.
The current clash follows an earlier dispute in which the province designated the former NDSM site in Amsterdam-Noord — including the Damen shipyard — as an industrial area of provincial importance, blocking city plans for 9,600 homes.
The new provincial plan also limits where displaced businesses could relocate. The Houtrakpolder is set to remain green and function partly as floodwater storage, while the Achtersluispolder in Zaanstad is designated partly for energy-transition-related industry and partly for mixed residential and business use.
Amsterdam has not yet issued a formal response. A city spokesperson informed Het Parool that a new alderman will shape the municipality's position on the provincial plan.
Public consultation on the draft begins Monday, after more than 5,200 submissions from residents and municipalities. The council is expected to vote on the plan in December, after which it will guide all spatial planning decisions in Noord-Holland.
