Hooidonk Watermills
The National Restoration Fund helped to finance the restoration of the Hooidonk Watermills. Hooidonk is a beautiful and historically significant spot on the river Dommel. There was probably already a 'molina', a watermill, here circa 800. Hooidonk had been a milling operation up until around 50 years ago, as well as a meeting place for the local inhabitants. The mills are now reassuming this function. The 10-year restoration plan has been sliced up into pieces for the sake of transparency and financeability. Using various restoration fund mortgages, the owners are financing these ‘pieces’ of the restoration works. The total investment ended up at € 1.3 million.
The Biesbosch, a unique watery district
The Dutch National Fund for Nature Development was involved in the financing of nature devepopment of a very important nature reserve. The Saint Elizabeth flood of 1421 gave birth to De Biesbosch, the water-rich nature reserve in the south-west of The Netherlands. This area is being expanded to give unique flora and fauna a chance and to serve as a water storage area. The Dutch National Fund for Nature Development financed a part of this nature development project in North Brabant province.
Municipality of Apeldoorn
With the Starter Loan, the Dutch Public Housing Stimulation Fund (for Municipalities), SVn, can help a lot of starters. For example in the municipality of Apeldoorn is a high demand for housing and supply is lagging behind. This is producing high housing costs. Consequently, private property is barely affordable for starters with an average income. The municipality of Apeldoorn wants to make the housing market accessible for this target group. Therefore, the municipal government is instituting the SVn Starter Loan as a policy tool. Since the introduction of the Starter Loan on the Apeldoorn market in 2004, it has already enabled nearly 100 middle-income starters to purchase a home.
DRU iron foundry
The National Trust for the Maitenance, Development and Exploitation of Industrial Heritage (BOEi) gives a new life to industrial heritage in the Netherlands. For instance the Dru iron foundry. In its heyday, the DRU iron foundry employed 1500 workers and made pans, stoves, bathtubs and enamelling. The factory has been vacant since 1999. BOEi bought the national monument, which is a sampling of industrial architectures since 1890. The complex will be refinished as a library, museum, theatre, clubs, concert halls, hotels, restaurants, a cultural centre, city hall, offices and residential-work sites.