Pilot Tiny Housing

In line with the ambition to realise homes for a lasting balanced population composition with attention for various target groups, the pilot project Tiny Houses Westvoorne was launched in 2022. The aim of the pilot project is to contribute to the design and implementation of new policy for the theme 'tiny houses'. During the pilot project, two tiny house initiatives within the former municipality of Westvoorne were selected. 

The current state of affairs is that the initiators have further elaborated their plans in consultation with the municipality and two environmental permits have now been granted for the projects. The trial should provide a learning effect for dealing with tiny house initiatives in the long term.

With the pilot project in Westvoorne, knowledge and experience have been and are being gained that can be used in further policy-making for the theme 'tiny houses'. In order to further increase this knowledge and experience, we would like to start a similar pilot project for the entire municipality: 'Pilot Tiny Housing Voorne aan Zee '. The lessons learned during the first pilot project are directly applied in this pilot project. 

Taste Brielle and Hellevoetsluis

Establishing policy frameworks for tiny houses is an important step in the long term to make tiny house initiatives possible. The pilot project Tiny Housing in Westvoorne is already a first step in this direction. In addition, a second pilot Tiny Housing will be launched Voorne aan Zee started. With this pilot, tiny house initiatives can be made possible within the entire municipality. However, initiatives within the former municipality of Brielle and the former municipality of Hellevoetsluis will be given priority over initiatives within Westvoorne. Tiny house initiatives within Westvoorne will only be made possible if (too) few high-quality initiatives present themselves within Brielle and Hellevoetsluis. The reason for this is that with the first pilot project Tiny Houses Westvoorne, the possibility has already been offered to develop tiny house initiatives in Westvoorne. 

The pilot project in Westvoorne is based on the realization of two tiny house initiatives: one on a location on a yard at a home/company home/company and one on a stand-alone (solitary) location. The pilot project Tiny Housing Voorne aan Zee this distinction is made again. However, unlike the first pilot project in Westvoorne, this second pilot project focuses only on yards belonging to homes at locations on a yard. Yards belonging to (agricultural) businesses and company homes are excluded. In addition, given the larger size of the project area, the Tiny Housing pilot project Voorne aan Zee assumes the realization of a maximum of four tiny house initiatives instead of two. This means that the focus is on the possible realization of two initiatives on a plot and two initiatives on a separate location. 

The distinction in locations (on a yard or on its own location) is intended to pursue different ideologies. For the location on a yard near a house, the aim is to offer a (temporary) housing solution for residents from Voorne aan Zee This could include making a tiny house possible for local youth or residents of Voorne aan Zee who need a (temporary) housing solution in the short term. The tiny houses are not intended for purposes such as home care and/or housing for migrant workers. The realization of a maximum of two tiny houses is permitted on a location on a yard. One of the Requirements for the realisation of tiny houses on a plot, there must be a spatial relationship between the main house and the tiny houses. This can include a limited distance between the main house and the tiny houses, a subordinate positioning of the tiny houses in relation to the main house and the existing plot and the shared use of a driveway. Another condition that applies is that the applicant is the resident of the main house and the owner of the land where the tiny houses are realised. 

For the stand-alone location, sustainable community life is pursued here. The emphasis for tiny house initiatives here lies on the sense of community and reducing one's own ecological footprint. At such a location, the realization of a maximum of five tiny houses is permitted. Stand-alone locations in this case concern independent locations with their own access to the public road. 

The tiny house initiatives are selected based on quality and not on spatial distribution within the municipality. It is therefore possible that four initiatives are selected for Brielle and none for Hellevoetsluis (or vice versa). However, registrations from Brielle and Hellevoetsluis that meet the minimum quality requirements (see also 'selection procedure') are given priority over initiatives from Westvoorne. This is due to the fact that a Tiny Housing pilot has already been carried out for Westvoorne and initiatives for tiny houses have been made possible.    

The applicant must provide a location within the search area specified by the municipality.

To enrol

From January 9, 2025 to February 19, 2025, you can submit a registration to the municipality Voorne aan Zee The content of the registration consists of at least:

  • The choice of the type of tiny house initiative: a location on a property near a house or a solitary (stand-alone) location
  • A sketch of the intended layout of the plan area
  • An impression of the type of tiny house including indicative dimensions
     
  • A textual description of the plan, which addresses the following themes:
    - the use of space in and the layout of the plan area
    - the (landscape) integration of the plan area into the surrounding area
    - the image quality of the tiny houses
    - the ownership of the plan area and the degree of collectivity
    - the ambitions for sustainability, self-sufficiency, water management and water storage
     
  • An action plan describing:
    - the process of independently moving from the draft design to the necessary documents for a permit application
    - the method of management of the plan area
    - the vision on communication with residents and the wider environment
    - the willingness and ability of the initiator to cover the costs of realizing the tiny houses and the development of the plan area
    - the vision on the period after termination of the trial (after a maximum of 10 years)

If you want to submit a registration for a tiny house initiative, you must use the registration form. You can request the registration form from the official handling the case, S. Dekker (see also 'Additional information'). You must submit the registration to the municipality no later than 19 February 2025. Voorne aan Zee submit. By submitting the registration, the applicant agrees to the selection procedure and the stated Requirements from this invitation and the accompanying attachments. 
 

Selection procedure

The registration must meet the preconditions set for the selection procedure. Each registration that meets the preconditions will then be assessed by the assessment committee on five criteria. The figures and weightings for each criterion result in a weighted figure for the initiative. For each of the two tiny house initiatives (on a property at a home or solitary location), the two highest scoring registrations are the winning registrations and will be further pursued in consultation with the municipality. The condition for this is that the highest scoring registrations achieve a score of at least 6. If a highest scoring registration does not achieve a score of 6, the registration will not be pursued further.

The outcome of the selection procedure will be communicated to the applicant(s) in writing in the second quarter of 2025. 

Additional information

Additional information is available for the careful preparation of the registration. This concerns maps on which exclusion areas are indicated and the required registration form with the boundary conditions, criteria (including weighting) and some inspiration for the registration. You can view this additional information at the town hall, Oostzanddijk 26 in Hellevoetsluis, or request it from the official responsible S. Dekker of the RO team. You can reach her by calling 14 0181 and/or by sending an e-mail to nl