The Province of Drenthe, together with Drenthe municipalities and housing corporations, commissioned a housing market study by research agency Stec Group. The study shows how many and which homes Drenthe will need in the coming years and where the biggest challenges lie. The results provide the province, municipalities, and corporations with a shared factual basis for housing choices in Drenthe, now and towards 2050.
Deputy Yvonne Turenhout: “For many people, finding a suitable home is no longer a given. This study confirms what we already see: homes are becoming more expensive and people find it harder to move, for example because there are too few suitable homes for seniors. At the same time, the study helps us look ahead so that we can make better joint choices for the longer term.”
Main conclusions and recommendations
Drenthe is on average still more affordable than many other parts of the Netherlands, but affordability is rapidly declining. Purchase prices rose by 57% between 2019 and 2024. This has made buying more difficult for low-income households and increased pressure on the rental market. The number of applications for social housing rose by 54% between 2020 and 2024. Aging will continue in the coming decades. The number of people aged 75 and over is growing strongly, increasing demand for affordable zero-step homes: homes without stairs, where people can live on one level. Drenthe is quantitatively on track with plans, but qualitatively there is a challenge: too few social rental/owner-occupied and zero-step homes are being added.
Stec advises focusing new construction more on affordability and zero-step homes, maintaining a strong social housing stock, and better utilizing the existing stock. This could allow for over 35,000 additional homes in Drenthe through measures such as adding floors, splitting, and building on existing plots. Measures such as purchase protection for starter homes and financing assistance can also help make homes more affordable.
Housing program in 2026
The Province of Drenthe will work together with municipalities and housing corporations on a provincial housing program based on these insights, to be developed in 2026, partly commissioned by the national government. This program will include agreements on the number of homes, affordability, suitable homes for different target groups, and better utilization of the existing stock. Attention is also needed for conditions that can delay housing construction, such as nitrogen regulations, available capacity, and the investment capacity of housing corporations.
What Drenthe is already doing
The province and municipalities are not waiting for the plan to be ready. Drenthe is already working along three pillars: accelerating housing construction, housing is more than just a roof over your head, and future-proof living. Projects are accelerated with subsidies, the Housing Impulse Team supports municipalities in making and improving housing plans, and bottlenecks are resolved via the Acceleration Table. Drenthe also invests in future-proof building, including with the Circular Building course.