The government has agreed to temporarily relax building regulations in an effort to end the shortage of accommodation in university cities.

The agreement, which should create 16,000 new rooms for students, has been signed by home affairs minister Piet Hein Donner, housing corporations and student bodies.
Donner is also hoping to attract private investors for the scheme, which will require total investment of €1bn.
To facilitate the project, several building regulations are being dropped and rules changed so empty office blocks can be converted into residential accommodation.
In addition, rooms are likely to be smaller. The current minimum legal size for a student room – 18 square metres – is being dropped and 15 square metres is likely to replace it, the Volkskrant says.
The Netherlands has around 60,000 official student rooms, which house around 25% of the total student body. Waiting lists are particularly long in Utrecht, Amsterdam, Leiden and Delft.