Plans for 30,000 homes stall over missing roads and rail money

Four cities picked by the government to build more than 30,000 new homes cannot start construction because there is no money for the roads, tunnels and rail links needed to serve them, broadcaster NOS reported on Thursday.

Alkmaar, Apeldoorn, Hengelo/Enschede and Helmond were designated large-scale housing locations in June 2025, joining 17 areas chosen for accelerated building to tackle the national shortage of around 400,000 homes.

The building plans have since been approved and funding for the homes is in place.

But when the previous cabinet divided up a €2.5 billion fund for making new housing accessible last November, the four cities received nothing.

Then housing minister Mona Keijzer allocated the money to the 17 existing locations instead, writing to MPs that “it is up to a new cabinet” to make further choices on housing and accessibility investment.

The four cities say they need €425 million in total, according to NOS. In Apeldoorn, where 6,300 homes are planned, the council has already budgeted €100 million for two tunnels under the railway line and needs the same amount from central government.

The infrastructure ministry has said it faces an €80 billion shortfall for building and maintaining the country’s roads, bridges and railways up to 2039. “There is no cash machine dispensing free money here at the ministry,” infrastructure minister Vincent Karremans told NOS. “We will have to choose.”

The city councils recently sent an urgent letter to the cabinet, NOS reported. “Without this investment, homes in these areas will not materialise, and with them the prospects of thousands of households,” the letter said.