All building records from 1905 through 2010 from the municipality’s archives at Borne are available digitally. Whereas now only a few clicks are required to gain insight into the old building permits, previously a sometimes time-consuming search in the paper municipal archives was necessary. For the total of over twenty-one thousand permits available digitally, that is now a thing of the past.
The complete building files from 1951 through 2010 can be requested online through archieven.nl or through the site of the municipality Borne. Within seconds, the municipality sends the files via email to the applicant who can then view, print and/or save the pdf files. The building files from 1905 to 1950 are immediately visible and downloadable online.
The environmental permits issued from 2010 to the present are not yet available online. These documents can be accessed by emailing a request to
In 1905, the Housing Act was introduced and a building permit became mandatory when building a structure. Architects, real estate agents, building experts and individuals regularly require building permits issued in the past. These permits are used to find out, for example, how a property was built, what the exact dimensions were or what the original construction looks like.
‘It’s a nice and free service that we are happy to offer our residents and business owners,’ says alderman David Vermorken. ‘The building permits, and thus the municipal archives, have thus become a lot more accessible to a wide audience.’ Of course, the municipality wants to keep the relevant documents available to everyone. For those with fewer digital capabilities, it will therefore remain possible to view building permits in the municipal archives.