• Hatesh rapa

  Local editor

• 

  Marilyn de Roy

  Political reporter

Near Schiphol, there is an empty plot of land the size of twenty football fields. The municipality of Amstelveen wants to build hundreds of student houses there, but this is not allowed. The plot of land is located directly under the flight path to Schiphol. Rules on noise pollution thwart ambitious municipal plans.

About ten people now occupy the plot of land with tents and wooden houses. “There are actually no places to live, so we put our tent here,” says one chemistry student, who preferred to remain anonymous. “You see that the Netherlands has reached its limits in every way. You see this especially in the housing crisis.” According to him, Schiphol Airport should shrink, which will immediately give you more space for construction.

Here planes fly at a distance of 200 metres, but according to Alderman Gordon (D66), a study by GGD shows that students do not suffer any health harm due to noise pollution. “Students live here temporarily and we can build well-insulated houses.”

The municipality wants to build 2,500 houses for students, but the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management prevents this. Living in that place would not be healthy and is not permitted according to aviation regulations. Councilor Gordon wants Minister Harpers to make an exception. “We have a shortage of 6,600 student homes in the region. We have to become more aware of the spirit of competition. Sometimes we rank ourselves quite closely together in the Netherlands.”

Of course, the housing shortage is bigger than Amstelveen: there is currently a shortage of 390,000 homes in the Netherlands. Where is there still room and how do political parties want to solve the shortage?

CDA wants to build more in the area. “The region has space that the Randstad does not have,” says party leader Bontenball. According to the party, this also includes investing in regional infrastructure and the economy. So that there are also jobs, day care centers and good train connections. “Every municipality should have the opportunity to build another street. If that happens in every municipality, you can add significant volume.”

GroenLinks/PvdA, like the CDA and many other parties, wants more central control. According to Klavier, leader of the GroenLinks faction, this means that The Hague will determine where construction can take place and that the government will once again pay for the costs of building homes, instead of leaving them entirely to the market. There is still a place in many places, primarily in the villages and towns themselves, Claver says. “Then you can look at the edges. And if all that doesn’t work, you can look at areas where construction hasn’t been done yet.”

The central government must designate these places and make choices. “We can’t have a huge airport and a huge bio-industry. You will have to choose. This means smaller livestock, a smaller Schiphol airport. This allows us to make room for a good, safe and healthy life.”

The New Social Contract (NSC) wants to put the province in charge. “They know the local and regional situation well, so the provinces should have a decisive role in determining locations,” says Merlin Welzgen, number ten on the list.

They also want to limit immigration – “you can’t accept people indefinitely and build for them” – and more clarity for market players. “What I hear from business parties and investors is that the policy is unclear, it changes very quickly, it changes suddenly. This is not good for the investment decision. The government has to ensure a stable environment and then the parties that are set up for this can do that.” The housing association sector and market players are simply doing their job.”