Merging the provinces of Noord-Holland, Utrecht and Flevoland into a single entity will save €70m a year, according to draft legislation published by home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk on Monday.

The minister plans to press ahead with the merger, despite widespread opposition. He says it will allow the region to operate more effectively and efficiently in terms of housing, infrastructure and nature management.

The new province, given the working name Noordvleugel (northern wing) will be home to 4.3 million people.

Delay

The merger was originally slated to become a reality in 2015, but that has been delayed a year in the new plan.

The draft legislation has now been put out to consultation. The final legislation will be drawn up in October once the consultation period is over.

The documents do not make any recommendations about where the provincial capital should be based. Noord-Holland is currently based in Haarlem.

The government eventually plans to reduce the 12 Dutch provinces to five, but Noordvleugel is the only one currently on the drawing board.