The Municipality of The Hague is going to build thousands of homes and offices in the triangle between the larger stations in the city. The city council previously had difficulty with the proposals, but a majority approved the plans tonight.
There has been talk for years about the building plans in what the Central Innovation District (CID) hot. That is the area roughly between the stations The Hague Central, Hollands Spoor and Laan van NOI. More than 20,000 homes, 21 football fields of shops and other commercial facilities and 90 football fields of offices are to be built in the area over the next twenty years. Because there is little space in that part of the city, it would have to be quite high.
Until now, the city council and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods have been critical of Alderman Anne Mulder’s plans, writes Broadcasting West. They feared that residential towers over a hundred meters high would rise, but that there would be a lack of greenery, facilities and schools.
‘Concerns are allayed’
When it turned out that the council would not support the proposals for that reason, Mulder withdrew them at the beginning of February. At the end of May, he made it clear that he wants to give politics much more influence. From now on, the council would be better informed about developments in the area and would also be given more opportunities to make adjustments.
However, it turned out a week and a half ago that the city council, including the coalition parties, had not yet been reassured. Mulder adjusted his proposal accordingly and added a few emphatic wishes from politicians.
For many parties in the council, these additions are sufficient to support the plans. “Our concerns have been removed,” said VVD councilor Jan Pronk. He has often argued in recent times for further amendment of the proposal.
Moderately positive
The residents of the neighborhoods around the area are moderately positive, says Jacob Snijders of the Bezuidenhout District Council. This is because the standards for social services have become stricter: more needs to be done. “More than this cannot be achieved at the moment. Politicians now also have a lot of handles and handles to be able to perform the controlling role.”
Partly for this reason, a majority of the council approved the plans on Thursday evening. An important moment, says Alderman Mulder. That is why he has no problem with the fact that he had to adjust the proposals recently.
Search for support
“This is an important debate. It’s about the future of the city. That’s why you have to do it well and also look for support, because you only get this chance once. I’m not here to push through plans either. If everyone participate, they just get better.”
According to Mulder, it is important to start building in the area in the coming decades. “The Hague is struggling with a housing shortage. We don’t want to heat up and shrink again like in the 1970s. At the same time, we want to do this in a way that suits the city.”
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