# Amsterdam buys NS land to keep 6,200 homes on track

> The city has bought land from the railway company NS in the Amstelvoorde district near Duivendrecht, with the first permanent homes expected in 2028, according to the municipality.

Housing · published 2026-11-14 05:33 · https://nlnow.nl/a/amsterdam-buys-ns-land-to-keep-6-200-homes-on-track/

Amsterdam has bought land from NS, which lets construction continue on 6,200 homes in the area between Duivendrecht station, the Johan Cruijff Arena and the A2 motorway. The NS plot has room for 2,100 homes and 250,000 square metres of facilities. The city is not making public how much it paid.

Alderman Alexander Scholtes called the purchase an important step. “The housing shortage demands speed. With the purchase of the NS land we can steer the development better and keep working on 6,200 homes, with space for work, sport and facilities,” he said.

Scholtes said the deal brings a large part of the project under the city's control alone. That simplifies the organisation and lets construction of homes start sooner, he said.

The district, until now called De Nieuwe Kern, is now named Amstelvoorde. Of the homes, 30% are to be social rent, 40% mid-priced rent and 30% free-sector rent. The first permanent homes are expected to be delivered in 2028.

**Most Amstelvoorde homes are to be social or mid-priced rent** (%; source: Municipality of Amsterdam)

- Social rent: 30
- Mid-priced rent: 40
- Free-sector rent: 30

The city says it will earn the investment back by granting leasehold (erfpacht) on parts of the land to developers and housing corporations. That can happen after an urban plan, an investment decision and a change to the omgevingsplan, the local zoning plan.

## Background

- **NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen)**: NS is the Dutch national railway company, the main operator of passenger trains in the Netherlands and the owner of many properties around its stations. Because NS owns land near stations, its plots are often redeveloped for housing or offices, and sales or leases of that land can shape where new homes are built.
- **erfpacht**: Erfpacht is leasehold: a long-term right to use land that belongs to someone else, usually a municipality, in return for a periodic fee called a canon. The landowner keeps ownership of the land, and the holder can build and use it under the agreed terms, which is a common way for Dutch municipalities to make land available to developers and housing corporations.
- **omgevingsplan**: The omgevingsplan is the municipal legal plan under the Omgevingswet (Environment and Planning Act) that sets the rules for land use, building and activities in a given area. It is the local zoning plan that determines what may be built where, so changes to it are needed before new housing can go ahead in many areas.

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