The possibility of creating new land off the coast of the Netherlands in the North Sea should be looked at seriously, MPs agreed on Tuesday night.

MPs voted in favour of a proposal from Christian Democrat MP Joop Atsma asking the cabinet to commission serious research into the project, which they say could help solve the chronic shortage of space.
The CDA plan involves reclaiming 50,000 to 100,000 hectares of land (1,000 square kilometres). The party says the new island would not only ease the demand for new building land but would offer extra protection to coastal areas.
The research must focus on the cost benefits of such a project, MPs said. Other plans to build land in the North Sea have always been dropped because of the enormous cost. But increasing land prices, particularly in the central urban area, may now make the polder scheme affordable, MPs said.
Dutch companies are already involved in land reclamation projects in Hong Kong and Dubai. ANP reports that a number of companies have already expressed an interest in creating land in the North Sea.