Host City Participation Plan

Project details

Project name: Host City
Project phase: O phase
Administrative OG: Henk van dAmbtelijk OG: Johan Moolenaar
Unit: Urban Development
Project Manager: Tom Lankhorst
Date: 30 March 2026

1. Background

The municipality of Apeldoorn wants to speed up the construction of homes on the southern outskirts of the city to help alleviate the housing shortage. The area in question is Zuidrand, south of the A1 between Arnhemseweg and the A50. This green area alongside the motorway is being developed into a new housing site, for which spatial plans are currently being drawn up.

This development is in line with the Apeldoorn 2040 Environmental Vision, which sets out that Apeldoorn will add around 8,000 new homes by 2030. In this context, the Zuidrand has been identified as a promising location. To achieve results more quickly, Apeldoorn is focusing on innovative solutions.

This opportunity is provided by the national Host City project run by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK). As part of this project, central government, the province and the municipality are jointly investigating whether 500 homes can be built in the Zuidrand area at an accelerated pace: 300 permanent homes and 200 sites for relocatable flexible homes. This combination contributes to a high-quality living environment and offers the flexibility to respond to temporary housing needs, including those from other local authorities.

A wide-ranging feasibility study has shown that the project is viable, provided certain conditions are met. The homes are ultimately intended for residents of Apeldoorn, including first-time buyers, families and older people, and thus represent a concrete and rapidly realisable contribution to alleviating the housing shortage in the municipality.

2. Objective & target groups

Objective

At this stage, the aim of public engagement is to provide the local community with clear and timely information about the Host-City project and the next steps in the process relating to the entire Zuidrand area. We aim to ensure transparency regarding the plans, clarity regarding the roles of the local authority and the developer, and realistic expectations regarding when and to what extent participation is possible.

Target groups

Primary

1. Immediate neighbours
2. Residents of Zuidrand
3. Neighbourhood councils/neighbourhood associations in Beekbergen/Lieren, Oosterhuizen, Klarenbeek and De Maten.
4. Apeldoorn Municipal Executive/Council
5. Organisations and institutions in the local area

• Rijkswaterstaat – Noise Control
• Natuurmonumenten – Beekbergerwoud
• Province of Gelderland – Accessibility, nature, nitrogen, etc.
• Apeldoorn Business Network – Accessibility
• Valei and Veluwe Water Board
• Network operator – Liander

6. Housing associations (De Goede Woning, De Woonmensen, Ons Huis, Veluwonen) via VSW

Secondary

7. Neighbouring municipalities
8. Residents of the municipality of Apeldoorn
9. Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (contracting authority)
10. Organisations and institutions – Secondary

• VNOG – Safety
• GGD

3. Space for participation

Sphere of influence

At this stage, there is limited scope for influence and input. Now that the local authority owns the land, the focus is on further developing the planning process. This means that, at present, there is no public participation in which decisions are made in consultation with the local community.

Level of participation

On the participation ladder, this phase is mainly at step 1: informing. We ensure that stakeholders are informed in a timely, clear and transparent manner about the next steps in the planning process.

On 21 January 2026, the Host-City tender was published. The purpose of this tender is to select a market participant to work with the municipality to further develop and implement the plan, including the design and construction of the proposed 300 homes within the established parameters. Market parties may register from the date of publication and may submit their questions during the tender procedure. The tender is addressed exclusively to these market parties and is of a procedural and contractual nature. Furthermore, parts of the project are subject to a confidential Cooperation Agreement (SOK) with the State, meaning that certain documents and information are not public and cannot be shared with third parties. For these reasons, public participation in the content of the tender is not currently possible, and residents can only be informed about the process.

A separate communication plan will be drawn up for communication during this phase, in which we will set out in more detail how, when and by what means we will keep the local community informed.

The development of Host‑City requires an amendment to the Environmental Plan. This amendment will follow the statutory procedure set out in the Environment Act, including notification of the proposed amendment, public participation during the preparatory phase, the public inspection of the draft decision (six weeks for comments) and, ultimately, decision-making by the municipal council, followed by an appeal to the Administrative Law Division of the Council of State. The Host‑City project operates within these formal frameworks: substantive decision-making on spatial planning regulations takes place via this statutory procedure, whilst the project process focuses on the elaboration of the plan, the tender and communication. Once the amendment to the Environmental Plan has been adopted and comes into force, the new planning regulations will form the formal basis for the further realisation of Host-City.

4. How to take part

At this stage, the main focus is on keeping the local community informed. We ensure that everyone remains fully up to date with developments regarding Host-City and the next steps via the following channels:

• Project page on the council’s website. Here we publish up-to-date information, important news items and answers to frequently asked questions about Host-City and the Zuidrand.
• Letters regarding newsworthy developments Whenever significant steps are taken or new information becomes available, we send targeted letters to local residents and other stakeholders to inform them personally.
• Mailing list for interested parties: People who sign up for updates will receive a regular newsletter containing the latest news and developments regarding the project.

Current email addresses:
zuidrand@apeldoorn.nl
woningbouwzuidrand@apeldoorn.nl

• Information sessions In mid/late June, we will organise a drop-in session to make the Environmental Plan available for public inspection. Once there is sufficient clarity regarding the plans and scenarios, we will subsequently organise further sessions where interested parties can ask questions and receive further explanations about the progress being made.
• Drop-in sessions at the South office

Following the publication and/or distribution of the information leaflet, we offer residents the opportunity to visit Kantoor Zuid on Fridays by appointment. During these drop-in sessions, they can ask questions, share their concerns and receive an explanation of the project in a one-to-one conversation.

• Construction hoarding/signs Once we’re really up and running, we’ll put up construction hoarding or signs at the site with information about the project. This way, passers-by and local residents can see at a glance that we’ve started, what’s going on and where they can find more information.

Although there is currently little scope for public consultation, we encourage everyone to use the channels mentioned to gather information, ask questions and submit comments. This is how we keep communication open and transparent.

Timeline at a glance