Dutch gov't planning four new neighborhoods with at least 3,500 homes each
The Dutch government is planning four new, large-scale residential neighborhoods in the areas around Alkmaar, Hengelo/Enschede, Apeldoorn, and Helmond in the coming years. Each location will have at least 3,500 homes, and the national government will oversee the construction projects, RTL Nieuws reports based on the new Spatial Planning Memorandum.
The Spatial Planning Memorandum makes important decisions about how the Nehterlands will be structured in the coming decades. The caretaker Cabinet will discuss Housing Minister Mona Keijzer’s plans in the Council of Ministers on Friday, but RTL already got its hands on it.
In addition to the four new neighborhoods, the government wants to urbanize several other, relatively quiet regions by stimulating their economy and building new homes. This includes the Friesland cities, the northern tip of Noord-Holland, Hardewijk-Zeewolde, Zuidoost Drenthe, and the Zeeland cities - regions currently facing shrinking populations.
In the future, these regions can expect demolition and new construction to renew the housing stock. They will also be selected more frequently as locations for new Defense sites of large-scale energy projects. “Barracks and the construction of power plants are creating new demand for housing and support services in Zeewolde and Vlissingen,” the memorandum states. “With targeted investments, we are giving an additional boost to regional urbanization ambitions.”
The memorandum also promises progress on a new pipeline for transporting hazardous substances like hydrogen and ammonia, to prevent these flammable substances from having to pass through residential areas by train, as is currently the case. “The national government is facilitating the Delta Rhine Corridor to create new underground infrastructure between the port of Rotterdam and the German border near Venlo. By 2033, one hydrogen pipeline and two CO2 pipelines will be constructed.”
