North Holland makes more room for housing development in rural areas

From January 1, 2025, the province of North Holland wants to make it possible again to build in rural areas. This must be done on the edges of existing neighborhoods, i.e., the well-known "little street. Under certain conditions, more will also be possible in protected landscape.

North Holland needs 191,000 new homes through 2030. Much of this can be built within the existing urban area, but the province also wants to give municipalities more opportunities to build homes on the edges of existing neighborhoods. To this end, the province will adjust a number of rules that currently apply to building in rural areas.

Inner-city building remains the starting point

The focus of construction will continue to be on inner-city construction even with the amended rules, explains Spatial Development Commissioner Esther Rommel: "Yes, more will be possible, but the basic principle remains: build within the city first and only then explore opportunities in rural areas.

Yet North Holland wants to make more possible to accommodate municipalities. 'Adding a number of houses is positive for the livability, vitality and level of facilities in a municipality,' says Rommel, 'and it offers more opportunities to find housing in one's own village. By widening the rules, the province of North Holland is meeting the wishes of many municipalities that want to enable small (re)development.'

Building in Protected Landscape

The widening of the rules means, first of all, that in the North Holland part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (MRA) it will again be possible to build small-scale housing. This removes the ban that was in place for years.

In addition, more will be possible in rural areas with the special status of Protected Landscape. The number of homes that may be built will be increased from 11 to 25. A condition is that these houses are built along a core or village ribbon and do not affect the special values of the area. If these values are affected, additional conditions are imposed on the housing plans. For example, extra attention must then be paid to the greenery in the plan.

Even large-scale residential construction in Protected Landscape is among the possibilities. However, it must be demonstrated that building in Protected Landscape is the best option.