Residents of Ghent will be able to vote on Sunday on two proposals likely to reduce property prices. This will be the Flemish city's first referendum since 1997, when residents voted against the installation of a parking lot.
Action group "Te Duur" ('Too expensive' in Dutch) forced the municipality to organise the ballot by collecting over 27,000 signatures.
The activists and Ghent's city council have drawn up two questions that will be put to residents over the age of 16. They will be able to vote on the privatisation of municipal public real estate and the creation of a 'public land bank' to achieve 40% social housing.
Ghent has been faced for years with a shortage of social housing and housing in general. According to a recent study, an additional 20,000 households will be looking for homes in the city by 2040, increasing the shortage to almost 6,000 units.
Votes will be counted if 10% of electors turn out on Sunday. However, the result is not binding.
