By 2035 the population of the Netherlands will count 18.3 million people, 1 million more than in 2019, according to Statistics Netherlands and the Netherlands' environmental assessment agency PBL. Most of the population growth will happen in the large and medium-sized cities, and the municipalities around them. But 1 in 5 municipalities will also shrink, especially on the edges of the Netherlands.
Utrecht
Sep 10 '19 10:19
Sep 4 '19 15:20
During surprise traffic checks on Tuesday, the police in Utrecht fined dozens of cyclists for holding their mobile phone while biking, despite the recent ban. Violators of this ban face a fine of 95 euros.
The surprise traffic checks were carried out by officers-in-training at the start of the new school year, AD reports. A total of 24 cyclists received the 95 euros fine for cycling with their phone in hand.
Sep 4 '19 08:26
Rents in the Netherlands continue to rise. In July, the average rents were 2.5 percent higher than in the same month last year. The highest increases happened in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Statistics Netherlands reported on Wednesday.
The rents of social housing owned by housing corporations increased by 2 percent. Rents for social housing owned by other landlords and rents in free-sector housing both increased by 3.3 percent. In all three categories, the rents increased more than last year.
Aug 29 '19 13:30
The popularity of high-speed electric bikes is skyrocketing in the Netherlands. On July 1st there were 17,200 speed pedelecs in the Netherlands, an increase of almost 62 percent compared to two years ago. These pedelecs - from 'pedal electric cycle' - are particularly popular among people aged 55 and older, Statistics Netherlands reported on Thursday.
Aug 29 '19 08:10
The names of the ten municipalities that will participate in the Dutch government's experiment with regulated cannabis cultivation leaked on Wednesday evening. In addition to Breda, Tilburg and Almere, which were already known, the other municipalities are Groningen, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Arnhem, Zaanstad, Heerlen, and Hellevoetsluis, ANP reports.
Aug 28 '19 09:19
Small, but intense local thunderstorms with hail and strong winds caused nuisance and damage in various places in the Netherlands on Tuesday evening.
Around Leerdam, cars, houses and gardens were damaged by rain and hail, RTV Utrecht reports. A number of trees toppled over across roads and had to be removed by the fire brigade. In Oudewater a scouting club lost their tents thanks to the strong winds. No one was injured.
Aug 23 '19 14:10
A home in the Utrecht neighborhood of Lombok under which the police found a mysterious hidden tunnel system of some 18 meters long, was recently sold, the broker who handled the transaction said to the Telegraaf. According to the broker, the seller did not know about the secret passages and it is unclear whether the buyer does.
Aug 23 '19 13:20
Buying a house is nearly impossible in large parts of the Netherlands for single-income Dutch households who earn an average income of 36 thousand euros, according to an analysis by mortgage adviser De Hypotheker. In the province of Utrecht, average single-income households can only afford 1 percent of the homes that are for sale, RTL Z reports.
Aug 23 '19 08:03
The number of homeless 18- to 65-year-olds in the Netherlands more than doubled from 17,800 in 2009 to 39,300 last year. The number of homeless people between the ages of 18 and 30 years tripled duirng this period, as has the number of homeless people with a non-Western migration background, Statistics Netherlands reported on Friday.
Aug 22 '19 17:00
Parts of Utrecht's medieval city wall was found during the replacement of heat pipes near Lepelenburg. The discovered wall remains, which date from various periods, include part of Utrecht's very first city hall from the 12th century, NU.nl reports.
Aug 22 '19 16:10
In a major investigation into so-called criminal facilitators, the FIOD uncovered a large network of drug, weapons and anabolic steroids traffickers. Six people from Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Utrecht and Flevoland were arrested over the past months. The FIOD seized 450 thousand euros in cash and bank balances, and over a million euros worth of ecstasy, steroids and medicines, AD reports.
Aug 22 '19 08:37
A niqab-wearing woman filed a complaint against the Diakonessenhuis hospital in Utrecht, saying that she was refused treatment and repeatedly asked by security to remove her niqab, the Telegraaf reports.
Aug 19 '19 11:57
The largest bicycle parking garage in the world is opening in Utrecht on Monday. With 12,656 parking spaces, including 480 spaces for larger or oddly shaped bicycles like cargo bikes and tandems, the parking facility on Utrecht's station square easily breaks the previous record, held by a bike parking garage in Tokyo with 9,400 parking spaces, Trouw reports.
"From abroad, they look with jealousy at everything we do here for cycling", project leader Lidwien van Kessel of ProRail said to the newspaper. "We are at the forefront here."
Aug 13 '19 10:01
A report raising concerns about fire safety and structural integrity of AFAS stadium that was released shortly before the new stadium opened in 2006, was ignored by the Alkmaar city council and office of mayor and aldermen, former alderman Victor Kloos said to De Stentor.
"We warned about it at the time. In the meantime, I have requested all documents, investigations and reports from that time from the municipality", party leader Kloos of OPA - currently the largest party in the Alkmaar city council - said to the newspaper.
Aug 12 '19 14:30
The price difference in buying a home in the Netherlands' cheapest and most expensive provinces is now 175 thousand euros, according to economists at Rabobank. The average price of a home in Noord-Holland is 388 thousand euros, while the average price in Groningen is 213 thousand euros, NU.nl reports.
Aug 12 '19 12:50
The number of traffic incidents involving laughing gas is skyrocketing, the Dutch police said in a statement. "We see people making dangerous maneuvers in traffic because they are filling up a balloon or have one in the mouth", police inspector Paul Broer said. "Even thought the effect of laughing gas is short-lived, it has a direct effect on driving ability."
Aug 10 '19 18:51
One person was killed, and separately a portion of the AFAS Stadion roof collapsed as heavy winds gripped the Netherlands on Saturday. Wind gusts in IJmuiden, at the North Sea coast, even topped 104 kilometers per hour.
A bicyclist died at about 2:30 p.m. in Linschoten, Utrecht, when the heavy winds toppled a tree, which sent it crashing down on a bike path along the Haardijk. The tree struck the victim, a 58-year-old man from Lopik, a town 15 kilometers away from the accident.
Aug 8 '19 09:58
Cat lovers can celebrate International Cat Day on Thursday by going to watch cat videos on the big screen in six Dutch cities. This is the first year that Dutch cinemas are participating in the international CatVideoFest.
Cinemas in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Groningen, Leeuwarden and Hilversum are taking part in this international festival celebrating the hero of the internet, Het Parool reports. Visitors will see an around 70 minutes-long compilation of funny or cute (or both) cat videos and animations.
Aug 7 '19 14:20
Travelers chose the main station in Groningen as the most beautiful train station in the Netherlands, in a poll ran by NS on social media. Amsterdam Central Station came in 4th place.
Of the over 10 thousand people who voted, over 33 percent voted for Groningen. The historic station in Valkenburg came in second place with 16 percent of the votes, followed by Rotterdam Central Station with 14 percent, Amsterdam Central Station with 11 percent, and Utrecht Central Station with 9 percent.
Aug 6 '19 12:40
A temporary lookout tower and a lift to take people to it are planned for the Dom Tower in Utrecht. The managers of the tower hope that this will still attract tourists to the Dom Tower now that it is being renovated. "At a height of 95 meters there will be a kind of crow's nest which you can get to with the elevator", manager Jaap van Engelenburg said to RTV Utrecht.
Jul 25 '19 13:00
Public health institute RIVM issued a "smog alarm" for Noord-Brabant, Zuid-Holland, Limburg, Zeeland, Noord-Holland, Flevoland and Utrecht. The air quality in parts of these provinces will be "very poor" this afternoon and early evening due to the formation of ozone in the air, the institute warns, ANP reports.
Jul 24 '19 19:38
Famed Dutch actor Rutger Hauer was pronounced dead on Friday in his hometown of Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, a representative for his family said to newswire ANP. The Golden Globe-winning actor was 75 years old.
Hauer passed away after a brief illness. A small, private funeral took place earlier on Wednesday before his death was publicly revealed later in the evening.
Jul 19 '19 10:10
Utrecht and Amsterdam will be the first Dutch places to have an official LEGO store. Both stores will open later this year, though exactly where they will be located is not yet clear, NU.nl reports.
LEGO franchises previously opened in the Netherlands, but this is the first time a LEGO store will open that is managed by LEGO itself. The new stores in Amsterdam and Utrecht will be entirely devoted to the colorful Danish building blocks. The stores will also host building competitions and allow customers to create their own LEGO figures.
Jul 17 '19 14:20
The Council of State blocked the widening of the Utrecht ring road in a ruling on Wednesday. The minister of the then Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment gave permission to widen the road, but the Council of State abolished this decision, NU.nl reports.
The plan was to widen the highway at Amelisweerd to seven lanes in each direction, in order to ensure a better flow of traffic on the A27 and A12 highways. In order to widen this highway, thousands of trees will need to be felled.
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