The five Holland Metropole partner cities will get a combined €100 million from a special Dutch government fund to stimulate affordable housing projects which are at the planning stage but threatened by the current slowdown in housing construction.

In total, 145 local authority areas are benefiting from the StartBouwImpuls fund (SBI), which will help pay for 31,000 homes, 80% of which are classed as affordable. Local authorities, private developers and housing corporations are all involved in the projects which are eligible for a total of €300 million in government grants.

Caretaker housing minister Hugo de Jonge said the money would help limit the impact of the downturn in the current construction market, which has been hit by interest rises and higher costs. “This extra support for local authorities will generate more speed and more focus so we can keep building affordable homes,” he said. “It will kick start projects which threaten to stagnate because of the more difficult construction climate.” 

Rotterdam has taken the biggest share of the Holland Metropole money – €26.7 million – which will be used to help get 13 projects off the ground. Some 64% of the Rotterdam homes will be classed as affordable. 

The city’s housing chief Chantal Zeegers said the investment is “extremely good news for those behind the projects and people who are looking for somewhere to live.” The money, she said, “will allow us to build over 2,600 homes and these homes are really needed in Rotterdam.”

The city has also set up its own fund to contribute €5,000 per unit towards projects that don’t qualify for funding from the government scheme. 

The Hague will get €25.7 million from the fund to build nearly 2,800 homes while Amsterdam will get €18.3 million for 14 projects totaling 2,105 units. Utrecht is being given over €19 million for eight projects with 1850 units and Eindhoven nearly €9 million for four projects and almost 900 homes. 

Haarlemmermeer, which is also a Holland Metropole member, will receive €2.7 million to help complete two projects with 262 homes. The money is being targeted at projects that are well into the planning stage so that work can start by 2025, even though changing economic circumstances have altered the business case. On average the government is contributing €10,000 to each housing unit.