Motion ‘Focus on Prevention’
The municipal council, convened on 4 December 2025, for the discussion of agenda item 7.3.
Noting that:
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The Rotterdam VVD, in its November 2023 motion “Who is going to pay the 18 billion?”, called attention to the financial burden facing Rotterdam residents due to necessary investments in foundation repair, sustainability measures, climate adaptation and asbestos removal.
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The Executive is making good progress in providing residents with a financial perspective for action on foundation repair, helping them to identify and secure appropriate financing.
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Repair is important, but repair may not be necessary if (temporary) preventive measures are possible in advance.
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The KCAF has indicated that prevention should be possible in 25 to 30% of cases.
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For Rotterdam, this roughly means that the expected 18-billion-euro bill could potentially be reduced to 12/13 billion.
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Successful experience has been gained elsewhere in the country with various types of tailored preventive measures, such as installing clay walls, installing a local pumping system, or installing infiltration pipes in crawl spaces.
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Rotterdam has a designated point of contact in the form of the Funderingsloket (Foundation Desk).
Considering that:
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Each neighbourhood, each street and each building block has its own foundation-related problems and therefore requires tailored solutions;
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Preventive measures initiated by residents often depend on the cooperation of the Municipality.
Requests the Executive to:
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Identify what is needed to coordinate the questions and approaches regarding foundation problems across the entire city, and include the following:
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which research and area-specific analyses are required;
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the possibilities for preventive measures (including the GOP initiative), alongside other solutions for foundation management;
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which successful prevention and life-extension measures used in other cities or countries could be applied in Rotterdam;
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the required staffing capacity and budget;
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the possibilities for sharing available knowledge, research results and tools with residents;
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Examine whether a report to the Council can be provided before April 2026 in preparation for the formation of a new Executive Board.