New housing construction permits fall by 13% despite government plans
The construction plans for the near future will not alleviate the growing housing shortage in the Netherlands. The number of housing construction permits issued in the first five months of this year, both for new construction and for adding to additional buildings, have decreased compared to last year. The number of withdrawn permits has also risen, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Friday.
From January to May, permits for the construction of 33,000 new homes were issued in the Netherlands, a decrease of 13 percent compared to last year’s 38,000 homes. In the same period, the construction permits for over 1,700 new homes were revoked, compared to 900 last year.
When it comes to permits for homes added to existing buildings, 2025 is also lagging behind 2024. Permits for only 5,000 homes were issued this year, compared to 6,500 last year.
The Netherlands is facing a massive housing shortage, which is expected to increase to 453,000 homes by 2027. To get ahead of this shortage, the Dutch government wants to build 100,000 homes per year. This plan was developed by Housing Minister Hugo de Jonge in the Rutte IV Cabinet and taken over by Housing Minister Mona Keijzer in the now-collapsed Schoof I Cabinet.
The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, did not declare housing a controversial topic, so the caretaker Cabinet can continue to work on stimulating housing construction. But in the years since the target was set, the Netherlands has never come close to achieving it. Last year, the Netherlands only added 70,000 homes to its housing stock.
