Living in the shopping street? A good idea, if Tilburg has its way

The housing crisis is also affecting Tilburg students. To ease the pressure, the Tilburg city council is looking at surprising solutions: upper floors of shops, extra housemates, and more flexible rules for student housing.

The supply of student rooms on rental websites has dropped by almost 30 percent, NRC reports. According to the Tilburg city council, that needs to change. During Monday’s housing debate in the council, the focus was strongly on student accommodation.

D66 Tilburg and other parties want more students to live above the shops on Heuvelstraat. The municipality will have to actively encourage property owners to make this possible. Students also need to be actively informed about the option. ‘That not only creates extra housing, but also provides more social control in the city center after dark,’ says Sofia Schampers of D66 Tilburg.

Student houses

But that’s not all. The party is also advocating for more student houses—real houses rather than large apartment blocks. ‘For a livable student life, you need a social network. Student houses contribute to that and also help combat loneliness. More houses instead of studios create a richer student experience and stronger ties to the city,’ Schampers explains.

The motion also calls for exploring the option of living with three housemates instead of two. Currently, in an owner-occupied home, you are only allowed to house two additional residents without a permit.

Housing shortage over nuisance

The current distance rule for student houses is also under debate. This rule states that student houses cannot be located too close to one another. The municipality will examine whether more flexibility or exceptions are possible.

‘A while ago, the neighbors of an Olof fraternity house sold their semi-detached home. A fraternity from student association Vidar was interested in buying it, but wasn’t allowed because of the distance rule; they would have ended up living right next door to the other fraternity. Yet in this case, it actually would have caused less nuisance,’ says Schampers.

This aligns with the view of Jolan de Bie, who previously argued that the nuisance argument should sometimes weigh less heavily than the housing crisis.