The small accommodation providers in Zandvoort that rent out rooms in the house or a converted garage to tourists are very concerned about the consequences of the new parking policy. They fear that if guests have to park far from their residence from now on, they will experience this as very inhospitable and possibly move to other places for their holiday.
As of 1 July, the parking policy in Zanvoort will be overhauled and paid parking will be introduced throughout the village. Residents can park on their own property, or on the street with a parking permit. Overnight tourists who can currently park for free on the street in some neighborhoods, or who receive a parking permit from their accommodation provider so that they can park nearby, will have to move to the large car parks on the outskirts of Zandvoort from 1 July. They then not only have to pay for parking, but in many cases also have to walk a long way to their accommodation.
Clementine Lentink, of Logies Zandvoort, where 230 small accommodation providers have joined, is very concerned about this. “I spoke to a lot of people yesterday and actually everyone has a stomachache, including me.”
Clementine herself rents out the top floor of her house on the Van Lennepweg in Oud-Noord. From there it is a half hour walk to the De Zuid car park. There is also parking for tourists in the LDC parking garage in the center, which is closer. But there is limited space. Everyone with tourist rental at home in the neighborhoods of Oud-Noord, Nieuw-Noord and the entrance of Zandvoort at the Zandvoortselaan and the Doctor CA Gerkestraat have the same problem.
‘Very inhospitable’
Clementine already knows what’s going to happen. “We rent out a lot through booking.com, airbnb and ferienhause. People will write a review on that. And then the review becomes: ‘Zandvoort is so inhospitable. We’ll go to Noordwijk.'”
One of the reasons that the parking policy is being overhauled is that residents of Tollenstraat and Vondelweg have complained about crowded streets. Some accommodation providers in the center allow their guests to park there because it falls just over the edge of the center with Oud-Noord and there is free parking. Clementine understands that problems have arisen there. “But it also depends on the Zandvoort residents themselves who go to work by train and then park in the street there.”
Complaints residents
Despite complaints of many residents and accommodation providers, the new parking policy seems to be definitively introduced on 1 July. The new coalition has already announced that it will evaluate immediately after the summer in order to tackle the bottlenecks. Clementine Lentink will soon be at the table with the chairmen of the four council parties to once again raise the issue of lodging providers. “I hope there is still something to arrange.”