With a gift of five million euros from The Hague, Emmen can renovate its own center. The municipality itself will add five million euros on top of this. Investors and real estate bosses must contribute forty million.
With the fifty million, Emmen wants to tackle the vacancy in the shopping area between the Marktplein and the De Weiert indoor center. Gray buildings, empty shops and stone walls are being renovated or demolished in the plans. Apartments will mainly be built between existing or new walls.
Ideal pictures
“We don’t want to lose stores, but we do want to lose retail space. We are handing over several thousand square meters. This part of the center really needs to be more beautiful, warmer and greener,” says councilor Guido Rink (PvdA) after the news that his municipality will receive five million euros from the rural area. “The subsidy was significantly oversubscribed. Nine municipalities together received 26 million euros and we received the top prize.”
In addition to new trees, streets and further paving of public spaces, a large part of the millions will go to investors and real estate bosses. They must realize the municipality’s ideals by building houses and upgrading the shopping area.
In the air
At least five parties plan to undertake extensive construction or renovation work. The bucket skyline on Raadshuiplein will be a popular place. The council wants to go up there, with the twelve-storey former tax office remaining dominant in the sky.
“We are talking about catering on the ground floor and building blocks of four to six floors on top. Not only houses for the happy few, but also affordable rent for our young people,” says Rink.
There will probably also be homes above the former V&D building on Mondriaanplein. The basement is in the picture as a parking garage.
Moving library
The residents and shops there will have a special new neighbor in the future plans: Facet, the new name of the local library. That organization has been wanting to move from Noorderplein to a place in the heart of the center for a long time. The subsidy from The Hague brings that crossing a lot closer, but the light is not yet green. “It’s orange,” says Rink, “but that requires another subsidy.”
The government wants to give municipalities extra money to strengthen the library work, for Emmen this amounts to €300,000 annually. If that plan goes ahead, Facet will move to the former zoo restaurant on Mondriaanplein. That pavilion now houses three shops that have to find another location in Emmen.
By securing the subsidy, municipalities and builders can make agreements about plans and costs. The municipality expects it will be at least two to three years before the first shovel or wrecking ball can be used.