It is uncertain whether it’s possible to build 3,000 homes a year in Eindhoven – even though that’s the definite aim.
Councillor Yasin Torunoglu said this on Tuesday evening at a council meeting. The council was discussing housing corporations performance agreements. Various political groups believe that the corporations should build more homes.
“In general, things are going well, but the ambitions are still a bit vague. It needs to be more concrete”, says A D66 member. The VVD would like to gain more insight into the promised numbers of houses, and how many have actually been built.
3,000/year
Cllr Torunoglu explained that the aim is to build an average of 3,000 homes per year. “That isn’t always successful. Over the next five years, we are aiming for an average of 3,000 a year.”
“But I don’t know if we can that many a year. That also has to do with the companies that have to build the houses”, the councillor says.
GroenLinks asked the council to what extent houses in the cheapest price category are being considered. According to the Torunoglu, it’s difficult to build only houses with the lowest possible rent.
High costs = high prices
“The labour costs of construction workers are high. The same goes for the land on which the houses are built, and the raw materials that are needed. That means house prices have to be higher to make their construction profitable”, Torunoglu says.
Several councillors mentioned rent subsidy as a solution. But, Cllr Torunoglu sees little value in this. “That puts you at the mercy of the national government’s whims. Sometimes they want to free up more money for rent subsidies. At other times, other people in power who want to spend less money on this.”
Torunoglu will soon be sending a letter about exactly how many houses the corporations have built recently. The corporations are to discuss with the councillor how to construct an average of 3,000 homes a year over the next five years.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Bob
Editor: Melinda Walraven
