Breakthrough deal for thousands of homes in Binckhorst, The Hague
News item, Area and Property Development
A major step forward was taken on Friday afternoon, 19 June, with the signing of the Binckhorst Housing Acceleration letter of intent by national and local authorities, paving the way for 7,500 to 8,000 new homes in the Binckhorst district of The Hague. At the same time, the municipality, area developers (AM, BPD, Dura Vermeer, and VanWonen), and housing associations (Haag Wonen, Hof Wonen, and Arcade) locked in their commitments, solidifying how each party will contribute to the project.
Binckhorst is evolving from a traditional business park into a vibrant, high-density urban district, with the first 5,000 homes now being built. For the future expansion of the Binckhorst, the aim is to add another 7,500 to 8,000 homes. The Binckhorst is one of the 24 ‘breakthrough locations’ listed in the ‘Woontop 2024’ initiative. The breakthrough approach is used by the national government, local governments and market parties to push stalled housing projects forward by resolving bottlenecks and accelerating decision-making.
Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan on this important milestone for Binckhorst: “We have a major housing challenge in the Netherlands. We need to build more, faster, and affordably. We will only overcome this crisis by working together. With this agreement, the construction of thousands of homes can be accelerated, and that is very good news for anyone looking for a home.”
Klaas Verschuure, Alderman for Urban Development in The Hague: “In the Binckhorst, we are showing how we can offer a solution for tens of thousands of home seekers. We are doing this together with many different parties, and it’s important that we jointly invest in solutions that keep the district and the surrounding area liveable in times of growth. This means: high-quality public transport, safe and fast roads and bike paths, and plenty of green spaces and amenities. We are also focusing on what is needed to find a way out of the looming network congestion. That requires investments. From market players and from public authorities. With this agreement, the parties confirm that they will jointly tackle the problem head-on and start working this year on solutions for house seekers across the entire region.”
Michel Zaadhof, Director of Property Development at VanWonen: “Because of the urgent situation in the housing market, all parties involved were prepared to set aside some of their own interests in favour of the greater good: new homes for the many house seekers. This enables us to push ahead together. That is good for Binckhorst, for the region and for everyone looking for a home.”
VanWonen has been actively involved in Binckhorst for quite some time – from the completed Pegasus Tower (which also houses our The Hague office) to the ‘Op de Centrale’ development, where approximately 1,300 to 1,400 homes are being built. This ongoing dedication makes today’s milestone all the more significant.
