Summary of the Committee's visit
to the Netherlands, 27-28 March 2007
Vestia Housing Association, Rotterdam
Present: Kees Elgershuizen, Director of Vestia; Arjenne
Jetzes, Project Development Manager.
Topics discussed: The long-term development of Dutch
social housing policy and its place as a major Dutch housing tenure;
the role of privately funded and freestanding housing associations
in providing it; the breadth of services offered to social tenants,
including repairs, maintenance and estate agency; the local government
structure within which housing associations work; and the nature
of tenants themselves.
Ms Jetzes also conducted the Committee on a tour
of Jordkikerveld, a Vestia housing project in Rotterdam, South,
mixing high-rise blocks of flats with smaller-scale housing units
in their own grounds.
VROM—Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning
and the Environment, The Hague
Present: Huib van Eyk, Director of International
Affairs; and Dr Veronica van Berkel-Van den Honert, clustermanager.
Topics discussed: The political situation and the
recent change of Dutch Government; the context of the role of
social housing across Europe and within the Netherlands; the significance
of housing associations in providing 2.4 million homes; the legal
framework regulating housing association operations; the financing
of housing associations; the growth of private rental and home
ownership; tenants' rights.
Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG)
Present: Gerard de Goede, Director of European Affairs;
and Dr Wil Prins, Senior Adviser of Habitat Platform.
Topics discussed: the interaction between local municipal
government and the housing associations; the financing of housing
associations and social housing; the extent of the social housing
market in the Netherlands; the legal framework; the nature of
social housing and its fit with other housing tenures.
AEDES (the housing association representative
body), Hilversum
Present: Willem van Leeuwen, Chairman; and Alexander
Luitjen, Senior Policy Officer.
Topics discussed: the changing nature of housing
associations and their consolidation; the role and importance
of housing associations in Dutch social housing policy and provision;
changing social structures and multiculturalism; the quality of
social housing stock; the financial structure of housing associations;
the rights of tenants and the role of local government in regulating
the housing associations; the rules affecting social housing financing
and development of new build.
