Acting housing minister Tineke Huizinga is to take steps to reduce the volume of empty offices in the Netherlands, including putting a stop on new projects unless there is no alternative, news agency ANP reports on Wednesday.

And the minister wants to make it possible for the owner of offices which have been empty for at least 10 years to turn them into residential complexes, ANP said.
The housing minister says one in seven offices has no tenant and complexes are empty for longer than they used to be.
If current policy is not changed, there will be a 15% increase in office accommodation over the next few years, the minister said. ‘It is too mad for words to continually build offices when space the equivalent of 960 football fields is unused,’ the minister told ANP.
The minister has asked the construction sector economic institute to investigate the cause and supply of empty offices. And she plans to meet investors, developers and local government officials to work out a plan of action before the summer.