New Heerlen Housing Fundamentals: growth and healthy neighborhoods

06-11-2024, 09:36

Heerlen is committed to growth with a new housing plan: the New Heerlen Housing Fundament. This plan focuses on healthy expansion of the housing stock in Heerlen. This will include more supply in mid-rise apartments and spacious ground-level homes. In this way, Heerlen wants to ensure mixed neighborhoods throughout the city. A new housing needs study shows that this approach is possible and can bring positive social benefits to the city of up to 5 to 30 billion euros. The city council will decide on the plan in early 2025.

Grip, growth and balance

In 2023, Heerlen's "Grip on Housing" policy established what it no longer wants: no room for housing slumlords and vulnerable inflows that damage livability. Now, a year later, the New Heerlen Housing Fundamentals gives direction to what Heerlen does want: healthy growth and strong, balanced neighborhoods. Alderman Casper Gelderblom explains: "For years, developments in our city and region were dominated by shrinkage. As far as I am concerned, those days are over! We now choose with conviction for healthy growth, and along those lines for balance in our housing climate. With this New Housing Fundament we substantiate that healthy growth is not only feasible, but can also contribute enormously to the creation of mixed neighborhoods. So by making room for the addition of the right housing, we are also working on the livability of our beautiful city."

Growth ambition for 2050

Earlier this year, Heerlen chose a growth ambition, with a goal of 100,000 residents by 2050. The housing study shows that there are several ways to achieve this goal, with room for some 6,000 to 8,500 new households.

Heerlen focuses on four growth opportunities:

Move-through, move-up and family-founders from Heerlen: Many Heerlen residents who want to move to a larger home must now look outside the city. This is due to a shortage of housing in the middle and upper segments. This is something Heerlen wants to change.
Successors of retiring workers: There will be an outflow of retirees in sectors such as industry and education. These new workers are welcomed into the Heerlen housing market.
Workers currently living outside Heerlen: Currently 33% of workers in Parkstad live outside Heerlen. By providing more attractive housing, Heerlen hopes to reduce this percentage, which could provide an additional 3,500 households by 2050.
New households through increased employment: Due to companies such as MedLands, Brightlands and possibly ASML, the demand for housing is growing. Heerlen wants to respond to this with smart housing planning.

Neighborhoods with balance: mixing without crowding

The New Heerlen Housing Fundamentals provide for a better distribution of housing in the city, creating mixed neighborhoods. The share of social rent remains the same, with the goal that neighborhoods have 20 to 50 percent social rent. This creates a healthy balance, without displacing lower-income residents.

Next steps

The study shows that Heerlen's growth ambition is achievable, but it requires cooperation. Heerlen is committed to this together with housing corporations and other partners in the region. This is laid down in a Master Plan Space for Housing, in which the municipality designates areas for new housing construction. In doing so, various parties work together in "Park City Marriages" to create a diverse housing supply. In addition, the municipality continues to seek support from the national government, which has already contributed millions. Inspiration also comes from pioneering cities such as Rotterdam and Almere, which managed to reach new target groups with innovative forms of housing.

In early 2025, the City Council will consider the New Heerlen Housing Fundamentals.