Municipality of Nuenen and Ruimte voor Ruimte sign cooperation agreement

On Tuesday, September 23, 2025 Alderman Patrick Kok (Nuenen municipality) and Wendy Oomes (general manager, Ruimte voor Ruimte) signed a cooperation agreement to accelerate the realization of housing construction in the village centers Gerwen and Nederwetten. 

Vital village centers

The housing task in Nuenen municipality is and remains large and urgent. Especially among young people, young families and seniors the need for housing is increasing. In smaller cores such as Gerwen (2200 inhabitants) and Nederwetten (900 inhabitants) this is leading to young people and young families moving away, resulting in less use of local facilities such as sports clubs, education and stores with which the quality of life is declining. The municipality has therefore identified adding housing construction as a top priority, specifically in the church villages of Gerwen and Nederwetten. From this context, in 2024 the municipality started a feasibility study aimed at identifying promising housing locations. 

Alderman Patrick Kok: "Gerwen and Nederwetten are just as important as Nuenen. It is precisely in these two village centers that housing construction must not come to a standstill, because that would be at the expense of the quality of life. The collaboration with Ruimte voor Ruimte is desperately needed to realize the jump in scale and acceleration of housing construction.

Collaboration

The municipality's feasibility study revealed several locations that may be suitable for housing development. The signing of the cooperation agreement with social area developer Ruimte voor Ruimte therefore serves as a logical next step in order to realize the housing developments. Ruimte voor Ruimte will start discussions with landowners, purchase land and work out concrete plans for the realization of housing in these cores, with an eye for quality, speed and support. 

'This collaboration fits perfectly with Ruimte voor Ruimte's role as a social developer. We develop, without profit motive, areas that contribute to social issues. Here in the village cores of Gerwen and Nederwetten we are realizing housing construction and thus contributing to the livability of these cores' - said Wendy Oomes.

Affordable housing

The cooperation is aimed at jointly developing the sites as included in the feasibility study. The starting point is to offer two-thirds of the homes in the affordable segment, one-third of which will be social housing. In this way Ruimte voor Ruimte, in cooperation with the municipality and the local housing corporation, will realize housing for all target groups in the cores of Gerwen and Nederwetten.