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The province of Utrecht is opening a subsidy of 600,000 euros for initiatives that make the neighborhood healthier, greener and more climate-proof. With this subsidy, available from April 2, the province wants to be prepared for heavy rainfall, heat and drought in the summer. Petrified neighborhoods are especially eligible for the subsidy.
The subsidy can be applied for by municipalities, housing associations, foundations, companies, associations, homeowners’ associations and other legal entities. 2,000 to 50,000 euros are available per party, intended to reimburse a maximum of 50 percent of the actual costs incurred.
The amount is higher in ‘petrified’ neighborhoods, because this is where the most nuisance occurs. This concerns amounts up to 60,000 euros, for which up to 75 percent of the actual costs incurred are reimbursed.
‘In these neighborhoods it is more difficult for water to drain away and heat lingers longer during a heat wave. We want to ensure that these places in the province are better able to withstand the changing climate,” says deputy Has Bakker. ‘That is why we support initiatives from the most urbanized neighborhoods just a little more.’
Examples of initiatives that are eligible for the subsidy scheme are: greening gardens and parking spaces and constructing biodiverse green facades and roofs.
The population in Utrecht has grown considerably and, together with the changing climate, this means that the healthy living environment with sufficient greenery and biodiversity is under pressure. The subsidy should help with this, reports the province.
