Housing corporation Mercatus has started demolishing the first rental homes on Rietstraat in Emmeloord. More than three-quarters of the rental homes on Rietstraat and the adjacent Zeebiesstraat will be demolished and replaced: 83 homes will disappear and 88 new ones will be built. The Noordoostpolder municipal council approved the plan in 2023 after it was presented by Mercatus in 2022. The new homes are intended to be gas-free and to retain features of the existing houses, including red roofs, brickwork, gutters and windows. Residents were initially opposed to the plan but later became mostly positive about it. A contractor is due to start work in the coming period, with materials from the demolished homes receiving a second use.