A Dutch local council is pressing ahead with plans to build a new village of 8,000 homes in the lowest part of the country, despite rising sea levels and increased flooding.

Cortelande, as the new village has been named by popular vote, will be located 4.45 metres below NAP in a local authority area named Zuidplas, which literally means “southern pond”.

NAP stands for Normaal Amsterdams Peil or the normal water level in Amsterdam, which is slightly lower than sea level, and is used by the Dutch describe how low places are, or how high water levels are in rivers.

The Zuidplas polder, an area of reclaimed land near Gouda and Rotterdam is as deep as 6.76 below NAP at its lowest point. The local authority already covers four other villages with a total population of some 42,000.

Work is slated to begin on the project in 2026. However, some residents and the local water board are unhappy with the plans and have taken the proposal to the Council of State, the Netherlands’ highest administrative court.

They argue the council’s plans do not offer “good and safe water management” and have not taken the future impact of climate change properly into account. The case is expected to conclude next year.

Some 26% of the Netherlands is below sea level and a further 29% is susceptible to river flooding.

Although rising sea levels are widely perceived as the biggest flood risk to the Netherlands, the huge volume of water moving through rivers from central Europe towards the sea is currently more of a danger.

Meanwhile, the village website is already welcoming potential new residents. It proclaims Cortelande as a village where “people greet each other in the street”, a place where children can play outside 365 days a year and as one in which “water is embraced”.