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 is for healthy expansion of the housing stock in Heerlen. There will be more supply in mid-rent 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. It also gives the city a positive social benefit of 5 to 30 billion euros. The city council will decide on the plan in early 2025.

Grip, growth and balance

In 2023, Heerlen established what it no longer wants with the 'Grip op Wonen' policy: no room for slum landlords and vulnerable inflow that harms the quality of life. Now, a year later, the Nieuwe Heerlense Woonfundament provides direction for what Heerlen does want: healthy growth and strong, balanced neighbourhoods. Alderman Casper Gelderblom explains: “For years, developments in our city and region were dominated by shrinkage. As far as I’m concerned, that time is over! We now opt with full conviction for healthy growth and for balance in our living environment. With this New Housing Foundation, we explain that healthy growth is not only feasible, but can also ensure mixed neighborhoods. By making way for the right homes, we are also working on the liveability 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 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: In sectors such as industry and education, there will be an outflow of retirees. We welcome these new workers to the Heerlen housing market.
Workers now living outside Heerlen: Now 33% of Parkstad workers live outside Heerlen. By offering more attractive housing, Heerlen hopes to reduce this percentage. This 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 will ensure 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 way, we get a healthy balance, without losing sight of 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. We lay this down in a Master Plan Space for Housing. The municipality designates areas for new housing construction. In doing so, various parties work together in "Parkstad weddings" to ensure a diverse housing supply. The municipality also 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.