A Dutch property developer has revealed plans for a new neighbourhood in Tilburg, in the north of the country, for gay, lesbian and transgender people.

It's the first such purpose-built "village" in the Netherlands, if not Europe.

The development company says the project is a reflection of research which shows that 22 per cent of gay men don’t feel safe where they currently live, particularly in big cities and even in Amsterdam.

The Mayor of Tilburg, a university town, has welcomed the idea.

“Any tolerant city would be pleased to have a gay community within its borders”, he said yesterday. The plan includes detached and terraced homes, with an average of price of about €250,000, spread across nine separate locations on a site to the north of the town.

Asked about the possibility that the move may be regarded as discriminating against heterosexuals, the developers said said they believed this could be “dealt with legally” via a residents’ association.

The project has its own website already, gayvillage.nl