The municipality of Emmen has 18 million euros ready to give the city center of Emmen a boost. The money is intended, among other things, to get a number of ‘old’ projects off the shelf. Such as the long-awaited refurbishment of the southern part of the Hoofdstraat (Marktplein-Kapelstraat) and the redevelopment of Kerkhoflaan as a bicycle street.
The projects are part of the so-called Regional City Emmen Implementation Plan. The money linked to this project will be spent via three tracks: increasing bicycle accessibility, strengthening the city center and a real estate development fund, explains project leader Wim Boonstra of the municipality of Emmen. The province will contribute a total of 4.5 million euros, Emmen will do the rest.
As mentioned, the projects involve a number of ‘old acquaintances’, as Boonstra himself puts it. Things that had been in the pipeline for a while, but which had been temporarily shelved due to budget cuts. The approach to the Hoofdstraat-Zuid, roughly between De Drommedaar and the Tuscany ice cream parlor, was already ticked off by the municipality in 2018, but has not yet been implemented. Entrepreneurs in particular would like to see this outdated area addressed.
The plans then included the arrival of 22 extra parking spaces, the arrival of a bicycle shed, renewed street furniture and more greenery. The bollard (traffic bollard) remains in the familiar place. These interventions remain the starting point, with possible minor adjustments, according to the municipality.
According to Boonstra, an amount of 3 million euros is now available for this. The work will probably be carried out in combination with replacement of the now dated sewerage system.
In addition, the municipality plans to restore the former front gardens at the city villas De Lindenhof (now an artists’ quarter) and the Hospershuis (home of regional broadcaster ZO!34). The stone city floor is now located at the front of both buildings. The Hospershuis will be neatly finished and at the rear there will be a viewpoint towards the Rensenpark.