Although Flevoland has been given a major housing assignment by the government, the percentage of permits issued for the construction of houses fell sharply last year. Figures from Statistics Netherlands show that the municipalities in Flevoland gave the green light for permits 1,626 times last year, which is more than 40 percent less than in 2021.
The decrease is bad news for the plans of Minister Hugo de Jonge for Housing and Spatial Planning. To solve the housing shortage, he wants 100,000 new homes to be built in the Netherlands every year. Nearly 40,000 houses have to be built in Flevoland over the next seven years.
The Economic Institute for Construction (EIB) said last month that it expects fewer homes to be delivered in the Netherlands next year, probably around 70,000 a year. This is partly due to a shortage of civil servants to process building permit applications. The increased costs of building materials and higher interest rates also play a role, as does a shortage of suitable building locations.
Statistics Netherlands does report that the figures do not include permits for housing transformations and the conversion of offices into homes.
