‘Luxury takes time. We don’t have time’: The former top military officer on a mission to fix the Dutch housing cri

Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan plans to simplify the housebuilding process to tackle shortage of 400,000 homes Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan is on a mission. The new housing minister of the Netherlands is charged with building 100,000 homes a year and breaking through a planning deadlock to combat one of Europe’s worst housing crises. The Irish-born 50-year-old is new to politics. Until a fortnight ago she was the country’s top female military officer, famous for getting flak jackets redesigned for women’s bodies and holding her own in a male-dominated sphere. Now she is clear. With a shortage of 400,000 homes, average house prices of almost €500,000 and a growing population, the country must build like it did after the second world war – and be prepared to make some compromises along the way. “What I take from working in defence is that you keep your eye on the ball,” Boekholt-O’Sullivan, from the liberal-progressive D66 party that now leads the coalition government, said. “The homes have to be built: that is the primary need right now. Luxury takes time, and we do not have time.” Many European countries are struggling with shortages of affordable housing, with pu

Mar 23, 2026 → Mar 23, 2026