Oostzaan is considering a merger with a surrounding municipality such as Landsmeer, Zaanstad and Amsterdam is also called. The village, with less than 10,000 inhabitants, is looking for the most suitable partner to do business with.
Marvin Polak, mayor of Oostzaan and true Ajax player, does not express his preference. He’s still careful. “Amsterdam is of course a beautiful city that I have lived around all my life and where I can be found every other week at Ajax’s home games,” he says. “So in that respect a beautiful city to sit next to, but whether that is the best choice for Oostzaan, we all have to determine.”
As a small municipality, Oostzaan is vulnerable, says Polak. That is why an investigation has been launched, resulting in a report by organizational consultancy firm TwynstraGudde. The pros and cons of a merger per municipality are listed here.
Weesp
The situation of Oostzaan is reminiscent of Weesp, which has been officially part of Amsterdam since March 2022. There, too, other options than Amsterdam were considered. Weesp would merge with the municipality of the Gooise Meren. In the end, the town continued independently, but a few years later it became clear that a merger was necessary. Amsterdam then came into the picture as a merger partner, in addition to the Gooise Lakes again. After a referendum among the inhabitants, the capital was elected with 57.4% of the vote.
Residents sceptical
After the summer, the inhabitants of the village will be asked how they view the merger plans and which merger partner they want to choose. A first brief survey generates little enthusiasm for Amsterdam. “No, no, please don’t,” one woman says firmly. “Let Oostzaan be nice and Oostzaan.” And another adds: “I think it would be nice if it remained its own municipality, actually.”
Residents are also positive and of course the mayor is also proud of ‘his’ Oostzaan. Like all residents, he mentions the Het Twiske nature reserve as a big plus of his municipality. The village is surrounded by greenery, but there is also beauty in the center, says Polak. “We are standing here in front of the town hall of Oostzaan on Kerkplein,” he describes. “And the reason why this is called the Kerkplein is because the large church of Oostzaan is located here. One of the nicer buildings here. And it is now somewhat deserted, but it can be bustling here. Especially on Fridays when there is a market here, this is the heart of Oostzaan.”
After residents have been able to indicate their preference, it will be decided in the autumn which merger partner will be used.