In the Arnhem neighborhood of De Laar, the municipality, developer, and housing corporation Vivare have joined forces. The existing construction plan for Zeelandsingel is being converted into social rental housing. Thanks to a one-time contribution of 1 million euros from the urban development fund, construction can start shortly.
Paul Smeulders: There is a housing crisis. Residents of Arnhem have to wait an extremely long time for social rental housing. There is a shortage of homes in general, but social rental homes are the scarcest. A good life starts with simply having a place to live. That is why I am very happy that we can start building these homes quickly.
The construction plans for Zeelandsingel in Arnhem have been changed. The 59 owner-occupied and rental homes that were to be realized have been converted to 100% social rental housing. This decision was made by the developer of the location and the housing corporation Vivare. The design and sizes of the homes remain unchanged, they say.
Housing Vision
By changing the program, the municipality is implementing the Housing Vision adopted by the city council in 2024. It was already indicated that the share of social rental homes in the De Laar neighborhood should increase in the coming years. The change in the Zeelandsingel construction plan contributes to this. The municipality states that the required environmental permit has already been granted and does not need to be changed. Developer and corporation can therefore start immediately.
Use of Urban Development Fund
To make the construction of these homes financially feasible, an amount of €1,017,750 is needed. The municipality is applying to the urban development fund for this. This fund was specifically created to accelerate housing projects and realize more affordable homes.
No Changes to Other Projects
The municipality emphasizes that this change has no consequences for other ongoing projects, such as the Plattenburgerweg project. Social rental homes agreed upon there are also being realized. With the combination of these two projects, Arnhem is working hard to build affordable homes.