A large-scale housing complex for migrant workers will now go ahead at Dorshout in the Dutch town of Veghel, overruling local objections. The Southern Netherlands construction project may now commence, adding a ‘temporary’ population of 500 extra residents to the population of fewer than 100 inhabitants presently living in the hamlet.
Nodding through the plans from developer Het Knokert Kwartier, the Council of State rejected all objections from local residents, who have been campaigning since 2019. According to action group ‘Geen woonwoning in Dorshout’ (No Residential Area in Dorshout) representative Jack de Laat:
As far as we are concerned, there is not much to say. We have done everything we could to stop it since 2019 and lost.
Het Knokert Kwartier has proposed building 100 ‘tiny’ houses and a central reception building, agreed with a permit in 2023 by the Municipality of Meierijstad. Locals object to potential nuisance—in addition to concerns about livability and traffic safety.
The court has indicated that the decision permits the construction of temporary accommodation rather than regular housing, which appears to negate local concerns about demographic change.
