“Working in inner city locations demands more of developers given the complexity of current rules and the need to fit in with the community already there,” says Lonneke Zuijdwijk, who joined the management board of Heijmans Vastgoed as director this summer.

The Zuidwest development in The Hague is a typical example of a large and complex area development. The area, built in the 1950s, had become marginalised, with low-quality housing and poor facilities for the community living there.

“The first parts have been demolished and we have recently started the construction of the first new complex,” Lonneke says. “But it is not just about the bricks and the houses. It’s about the social impact we can make to change the neighbourhood by, for example, mixing owner-occupier homes with social housing and mid-market rentals.”

People living in the area have been widely consulted about the development plans, a key part of any major project, Lonneke says. “It’s about how you deal with the people who live there. It is also about education, and providing schools. It’s about work, playing fields, sports facilities, culture. This is something we really emphasis in our work.”

A complex project like The Hague Zuidwest, or the Hart van Zuid in Rotterdam, requires a specialized approach. “You have to look at a project differently, particularly in the early stages,” says Lonneke. “You have to form a connection with the people already living there and the entrepreneurs who work there. You need to listen to them and find out what is really needed. Sustainability, in the widest possible sense, is essential, and so is wellbeing. Wellbeing is a new factor and it highlights a change in how we approach projects.”

A more people-centred approach to development does make the job more complicated and requires different expertise. For example, Heijmans now employs ecologists and sociologists to help ensure that its targets are met. Boosting biodiversity and climate adaptation are also areas where advances can still be made, she says. European legislation will also be helpful in encouraging the sector to take further steps.

In addition, Lonneke is keen to see increased industrialisation in the sector, which she says boosts efficiency and frees up time to focus on other areas. “People are sometimes critical about industrialisation but we think if you use modular buildings, you have more time to focus on the environment, building on biodiversity and creating a community. The building itself is just one element in an area development project. More than that modular building has become much more varied and flexible as well.”

While sustainability is now a key part of any project in the Netherlands today, more can still be done in terms of improving construction materials such as circular concrete and wood  Heijmans has for example its own factory producing timber framing for homes.

“We have to deal with sustainability, affordability and all the rules associated with these issues, which are all together making it difficult to speed up the development of residential property,” she says. “But when you look at the social impact of the shortage of housing, you know all stakeholders involved in area developments have to get moving.

Meet Lonneke Zuijdwijk and the rest of the Heijmans Vastgoed team on the Holland Metropole stand at Expo Real which runs from October 7 to 9. Hall A2, stand 130

Illustration: Dreven, Gaarden, Zichten is part of The Hague Zuidwest area development

Urban planning in the Netherlands must be focused on densification, based around sufficient amenities, good public transport and green streetscapes, Edward Schuurmans, partner at KCAP said in an interview ahead of the Expo Real property trade fair in Munich.

To build enough houses in a country where there is a shortfall of at least 400,000 homes, local authorities and developers must look to both adding to existing residential areas in cities and adding streets to smaller villages on a fitting scale. “You have to both densify and build new neighborhoods” Edward says. “We must begin with densifying our cities and that means having better infrastructure as well. If you look at trains, for example, we in the Netherlands are somewhat late, compared with some other parts of Europe.”

KCAP has, for example, been working together with Lelystad city council to draw up a vision for transforming the eastern part of the city centre, involving a linear park, reduced car use and 1,200 new housing units, including a landmark building that will be 18 storeys high. The Fellenoord project around Eindhoven’s main railway station involves transforming a mono-functional area, dominated by infrastructure and offices, into a lively and mixed, dense urban district.

Integrated design

A switch to more sustainable forms of mobility is a key part of KCAP’s focus, with area developments edging out cars and bringing in more green spaces. “Our expertise spans architecture, urban design, and landscape and in the award-winning Cruquius project, located in Amsterdam’s former eastern harbour area, we incorporated all three disciplines,” Edward says. “This enables us to create integrated environments, where people can live and work happily. We believe in a mix of functions.”

New build properties in the Netherlands are now built to the highest energy saving standards and bio-based and circular construction materials are becoming more popular as well. So are we now reaching an end in regulating what can be done to ensure housing is as sustainable as possible?

“Fifteen to 20 years ago it was all about energy use and now it has all been regulated,” Edward says. “Everyone knows how their buildings need to perform and you could say every new building[ES1]  is sustainable energy-wise. I expect the use of bio-based and recycled material will be regulated too within the coming five years.”

CO2 targets

He predicts the next big issue that will be used to set targets for sustainable construction may well be CO2. “And that means covering the lifespan of a building, not just the construction process,” he says. “It will be about more than energy use or the construction materials. The next step could be to integrate the actual footprint of a building during its lifespan.”

“In the end, sustainability is all about what the gain for end user is, rather than Excel sheets,” Edward says. “Sustainability is often reduced to quantities, to figures, but it is actually about creating comfortable spaces. It is really about creating the best possible environments for people to live and work in.”

The KCAP team will be part of the Holland Metropole stand A2.130 at Expo Real in Munich from October 7 to 9.

Illustration: Part of the Cruquius development in Amsterdam. Illustration: Aiste Takauskaite

“This really is the right time to step into the Netherlands as a foreign investor,” says Ronald Huikeshoven, managing director of area developer AM and new chairman of Dutch developers association NEPROM. “The government is ready, developers are ready and the councils are ready. Everyone is combining their strengths to focus on affordable, residential area development.”

The new government has adopted the previous administration’s target of building 900,000 affordable homes in the Netherlands and is ready to act to speed up the development process which is crucial, he says, to ensure enough housing is built.

Yet while it is still vital to build affordable houses and work to boost sustainability, the social impact of area development is also becoming increasingly important.

For example, he says, loneliness is one of the most important issues facing both youngsters and the elderly. “So if you can help combat that through a development that helps people meet each other and make new friends, and keep an eye on each other, then you are really having a positive impact. On top of affordability and sustainability, this is what we really need as a society.”

Combining these factors, he says, is particularly an issue in area developments in the Netherlands, partly because the country is compact and space is at a premium, and partly because of tradition. And this, he says is where the concept of public private partnerships really comes in. “You can’t do it alone,” he says. “You need each other to make these sort of projects a success, especially when there are so many different interests involved.”

Combining all these different needs is one reason why it can take years to complete residential projects in the Netherlands, which is why Ronald supports the development of a different way of planning.

Rather than draw up a plan for housing, then for the roads, the electricity supply and dealing potential hindrances such as a nearby factory, he supports a parallel planning process, where everything is done at the same time.

“To do this you need the cooperation of everyone involved and to ensure everyone is committed to drawing up the plan within a short space of time,” he says. “Then, as private and public partners, you are really a team, working together, rather than reacting to someone else’s plan for this or that.”

The procedures for protesting about plans also need reforming he says, so that the interests of people who need a house are also taken into account. “When you live in a city, you need to understand that cities change. They evolve,” he says. “And that means keeping the history alive. So you should not knock down everything. You need to keep the old buildings and find new uses for them and then combine the old and new.”

It is equally important to make sure there is space for shops and services, and even for up and coming artists who, Ronald says, bring life to new urban developments and make it interesting to live somewhere.  “Everybody likes it when there is an old building incorporated into a new project,” he says. “It provides a link with the past. I recently moved and where I live now, an old industrial building has been converted into a brewery and café. And when I come home from work and I see everyone sitting outside, then I really feel like I am coming home.”

Illustration: AM’s Eleven Square project is helping transform the area around the Arena stadium south east of Amsterdam.

Legislation to bring more homes under the Dutch rent control system have been approved by the senate and are set to become law in the Netherlands on July 1.

Government officials say the new rules will result in some 90% of Dutch rental housing falling under some form of rent control although they will only apply to new tenancies.

Landlords and property developers have been campaigning to have the plans put on ice, arguing that the new measures will discourage investors from entering the affordable housing market.

Affordable new homes

In an effort to appease investors, housing minister Hugo de Jonge has agreed that developers who start work on new rental properties from now up to 2028 will be able to charge a premium of 10% on top of the official rise for a period of 20 years. The official annual rent rise will be based on either inflation or average wage increases plus 1%.

Senators also agreed to an assessment of the new legislation within three years.

Points for more amenities

In effect, De Jonge is hiking the current maximum rent in the rent-controlled sector from €879 per month to €1,157 – based on the number of points a property is worth.

At the moment landlords have free choice in deciding the rent of property which is calculated to be worth more than 143 points in the regulatory system. Homes with fewer points are classed as social housing with a maximum price of €879 per month and only open to people on low incomes.

De Jonge’s new maximum will be between 186 points, which means far more properties will fall under rent controls. Points are awarded for amenities such as the number of bedrooms, whether or not the apartment has luxury bathroom fittings, and the age of the property.

The point system is also being overhauled to give more weight to high energy labels, outside space, and the quality of kitchens and bathrooms.

Lower rents for new tenants?

Ministry officials estimate the rent of some 300,000 homes will go down an average of €190 when a new tenant moves in, and that 113,000 additional homes will become rent-controlled.

Currently, 57% of the Dutch housing stock is owner-occupied, 33% is rent-controlled and just 9% is available for people earning more than €40,000 who wish to rent. Housing corporations own the bulk of the rental properties but 1.2 million are in the hands of private investors, many of whom just own a couple of apartments as a pension.

De Jonge’s successor Mona Keijzer, who takes over as housing minister on July 1, opposes the new rent controls but says she will abide by the senate decision.

Some 180,000 new homes have been built in the Netherlands during the past two years, and 800,000 more must be built by 2030, of which 60% will be classed as “affordable”. Many of them will be built at 35 locations nationwide which have been earmarked for development in agreements signed between the minister and local authorities.