Featured : Renovation of the Binnenhof and relocation of the House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is to be relocated in 2021. The historical Binnenhof building complex is in need of large-scale renovation, which will take five and a half years to complete. For the duration of that period, all current users of the Binnenhof complex will be moving to the former ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bezuidenhoutsweg 67, next to The Hague Central railway station. After the completion of the renovation the House will return to the Binnenhof.
All Binnenhof users to be relocated
The Binnenhof has many users: members of parliament, civil servants, members of the Cabinet, as well as the Prime Minister and his staff. They will all be relocated to another place of work for the duration of five and a half years. Since they are so many people, relocating everyone to the same premises is not an option. The Senate and the Council of State will find temporary housing at Lange Voorhout 34 in the centre of The Hague. The ministry of General Affairs will be housed in the vicinity of the Catshuis, the Prime Minister's official residence, and the House of Representatives at Bezuidenhoutseweg. After the renovation, everyone will move back to the Binnenhof.
Binnenhof complex in urgent need of repair
The Binnenhof is a centuries-old monumental building complex, which has been suffering from quite a few technical and structural defects, such as wood rot, leaking roofs and outdated technical installations. The state of the Binnenhof causes (fire) safety risks. Moreover, modern security requirements as well as the ever increasing numbers of visitors demand adaptations. After the renovation the building will meet the present-day requirements. That is how the Binnenhof can be preserved for future generations as the centre of our parliamentary democracy.
First, the building at Bezoudenhoutseweg 67 will be made suitable for the House of Representatives, with a plenary sitting hall, committee meeting rooms and a large public passageway on the premises. The temporary plenary hall will be made almost identical to the current Plenary hall, including the familiar blue seats.
Central Government Real Estate Agency
Commissioning authority of the renovation and the temporary relocation is the Central Government Real Estate Agency, the owner of the Binnenhof building complex. Since 2017, a team of architects and technical specialists has been working on the plans their technical realisation. This is done in close consultation with the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Council of State and the ministry of Foreign Affairs.