Redundant office blocks, shops, schools or other public meeting places were transformed into some 8,000 new homes in the Netherlands last year.

This equates to about 9% of all new housing and is at about the same level as in 2015, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday.

Once again, Eindhoven led the way, producing 800 new homes from conversions last year – some 40% of new housing stock. In Amsterdam 600 new homes were created from recycling offices while The Hague, Breda and Leiden also boosted their housing supply with conversions.

Between 2012 and 2016 34,000 new homes were created by revamping redundant buildings,the CBS said. The number of conversions rose sharply in 2012 after the government changed building regulations to make it easier.