Being able to play sports outside, getting an ice cream with your children and more cohesion between the different parts of the village. That is what residents of Eelde want most in the new center.
Atmospheric, ugly, outdated and unpleasant. This is what residents of Eelde answered when asked how they would describe the center of the village. Design agency Includi was commissioned by the municipality of Tynaarlo to investigate what the new center should look like. Municipal councilors received a preview of the preliminary plans on Tuesday evening at Herberg van Hilbrantsz in Eelde.
Spend time
If it were up to the residents, there should be more places to spend time in the center of Eelde. “Only a few percent of the village is accessible without paying entrance or a drink,” creative director Aat Vos of Includi explains to the council members. “You can really only hang out with friends in one place.” In the new plans, Eelden residents would like to see more places to exercise in public spaces, get an ice cream with children or new catering establishments.
The west side of the village should become a green, cultural corner. Includi does not want to build much in the historic area around the Kampje. A cultural cluster should be created around De Buitenplaats museum and the Nijsinghhuis. Events such as the weekly market and the dome festival can take place there. “Eelde must become less of a drive-through village,” Vos quotes a resident.
Shot in the case
After more than twenty years of struggle, things finally seem to be moving forward in Eelde. After previous plans for new construction in the center were rejected by the city council in 2021, the mayor and aldermen went back to the drawing board. “Eelde has been ready for something beautiful for almost thirty years,” said councilor Jurryt Vellinga prior to the presentation. In the hope of creating more cohesion, a master plan had to be drawn up. In recent months, we have looked at which interpretation suits the village heart.
Green ash
The plans make a distinction between places to spend a lot of time, such as catering, greenery and culture, and the more efficient design of mainly the east side. The center of Eelde must become more traffic-calmed. “There are dangerous points there that we can tackle,” says Vos. The green axis, which starts at De Buitenplaats and the church, must be extended to the cemetery on the other side of the village.
The plans are not yet final, both the municipality and the design agency emphasize. At the end of September, the plans and sketches will be presented to the residents of Eelde for the last time. “We hope to get a lot of input from that,” says Aat Vos. The master plan will then be discussed by the municipal council.