Construction of De Maten began in the early 1970s. One of the first sections to be built was De Horsten. It is a neighbourhood with many single-family homes. These are mainly terraced houses, set in residential estates. Like the rest of De Maten, it is a green neighbourhood. There are also plenty of cycle paths and footpaths. The neighbourhood is home to around 2,900 people, with a mix of young and old.
Research shows that De Horsten scores about average when you compare the neighbourhood with other parts of Apeldoorn. Many residents enjoy living in the neighbourhood. They give it a rating of 7.9. People have often lived here for a long time. Most residents are in reasonably good or good health. And their sense of happiness is rated at 8 on average.
In De Horsten, there are plenty of amenities just around the corner, such as shops, schools and the station. The neighbourhood also has an active neighbourhood council, which organises all sorts of activities. These include the Outdoor Play Day and the football tournament on King’s Day. The council also contributes to the neighbourhood newspaper.
At the same time, there are areas of concern. Incomes in De Horsten are lower than the average for Apeldoorn. And the number of people receiving benefits is slightly higher than average. The neighbourhood has quite a few vulnerable residents. There are also some who feel genuinely lonely. Community ties could therefore be improved. And there are few facilities for young people.
Finally: De Horsten is about fifty years old. The neighbourhood could do with a bit of a revamp. We’ve already got started on that. As we set about improving the neighbourhood, we’ll immediately look at whether we can tackle other issues as well. For example, can we make it easier for people to meet up outdoors? Can we make the neighbourhood more sustainable, greener and safer? Together with the local community, we’ll assess what’s needed. The following pages set out the areas we’ll be focusing on.
Over the coming period*, six areas will receive particular attention. First and foremost, the neighbourhood’s identity: how can we enhance the neighbourhood’s positive aspects? We are also working on public spaces: streets, pavements and green spaces. Together, we are striving to improve the social environment so that everyone feels at home. Safety is on the agenda, for example tackling speeding. We’re looking at mobility and local amenities, such as car-sharing schemes and shops. And, together with the neighbourhood, we’re working on sustainability.
* Some of the action points have now been implemented.
|
Objective |
Action/Point for attention |
Who |
|
Lovely green spaces in the neighbourhood |
Some of the green spaces in the neighbourhood are reaching the end of their useful life. We are inspecting them and replacing them where necessary. This is being done in stages. We are also involving residents in the maintenance work. And we are supporting people who clear up litter by providing advice and materials. |
Municipality, residents, Ons Huis, neighbourhood council, Stimenz, Heel Apeldoorn Rein, Zero Waste Apeldoorn |
|
People know where to find Samen055 |
Through Samen055, various organisations are working together to support the residents of Apeldoorn. We let residents know what’s available. |
Samen055, local authority, neighbourhood council |
|
More interaction between residents |
We’re all doing our best to improve interaction between residents. Fortunately, a lot is already happening, such as neighbourhood help schemes and the Outdoor Play Day. We’re letting people know what’s on offer, and we’re continuing to expand the range of activities. |
Neighbourhood council/team, local authority, residents, schools, housing associations, Stimenz, Don Bosco, Huis van Ontmoeting |
|
Less loneliness and poverty |
We support initiatives to reduce loneliness in the neighbourhood. We are also looking at what we can do to help residents who do not have enough money for the bare essentials and basic services. |
Samen055, residents, neighbourhood team |
|
An alternative to the letterbox |
Some residents find it a problem that there are fewer and fewer letterboxes. We are looking into whether there is a solution to this. |
Samen055, local authority, healthcare organisations |
|
Residents who are tech-savvy |
We help residents with things such as computers, websites and DigiD. |
Samen055, Digicoach, CODA, Huis van Ontmoeting |
|
Safe neighbourhood |
Where necessary or desirable, we look into improving street lighting. We carry out checks for speeding and illegal parking. And we provide information on traffic regulations and the use of hire scooters. |
Local council, police, neighbourhood council |
|
Less disruption among young people |
We are continuing our efforts to minimise nuisance caused by young people in the neighbourhood. In doing so, we are also focusing specifically on young teenagers. |
Local council, police, Samen055, Stimenz |
|
Less disruption at schools |
Driving schoolchildren to and from school causes disruption. We encourage people to cycle instead. |
Schools, local council, police |
|
Save more energy |
We provide tips on how to save energy. And we encourage people to insulate their homes. We also provide information on the schemes available to people who are unable to pay their energy bills. |
Local authority, Energy Point |
|
Objective |
Action/Point for attention |
Who |
|
A community that cares |
We’re setting up a (WhatsApp) group with contact people from all the courtyards. This will help us keep the neighbourhood informed about activities. |
Neighbourhood Council |
|
A revitalised neighbourhood |
De Horsten is in need of a revamp. Some streets and cycle paths are in poor condition. And some play areas are outdated. We’re working with residents to identify what improvements are needed. By tackling these issues, we’ll also be improving the green spaces. And we’re aligning our work with the changes that will be required when the neighbourhood switches from gas to other energy sources. |
Local council, neighbourhood council, Stimenz, residents |
|
Meeting places |
If residents have ideas for creating or improving meeting places, we’ll work together to see how we can take this forward. We’ll incorporate this into the regeneration projects. |
Local authority, residents |
|
Community lounge in the neighbourhood |
A central meeting place in the neighbourhood can help to foster community ties. We are looking into the possibility of setting up a community lounge or another central venue. |
Local authority, Samen055, housing associations, residents |
|
Greater diversity among tenants in rental properties |
In some parts of the neighbourhood, many vulnerable people live in close proximity to one another. We are looking into whether we can change this. And also: how we can best support these people. |
Local authority, housing associations, Samen055, Stimenz |
|
Less disruption dog poo |
To minimise the nuisance caused by dog fouling, we want to step up our monitoring. We are looking into whether additional litter bins are needed. |
Residents, local council |
|
Suitable public transport |
For some residents, the removal of bus stops is a problem. We are discussing this with the provincial authorities. |
Municipality, county |
|
Plan for the energy transition |
We are aiming to make parts of De Maten natural gas-free by 2030. We are drawing up a plan for this in collaboration with the neighbourhood. We are also looking at how residents can make their homes more sustainable. In the long term, there will likely be a single heating system for the whole neighbourhood. |
Local authority, ‘De Energieke Maten’ citizens’ initiative, residents, owners’ associations, housing associations, Liander |
|
Enough charging points |
We are looking into whether more charging points are needed. |
Local authority, residents, market |
|
Objective |
Action/Point for attention |
Who |
|
Character of the strengthen the neighbourhood |
We want to turn the various residential areas in the neighbourhood into more of a ‘neighbourhood’. For example, by creating ‘neighbourhood squares’ with greenery or some other distinctive feature. This could help to improve contact between neighbours. |
Municipality, Ons Huis, housing associations, Samen055, Stimenz, neighbourhood council |
|
Activities out in the countryside |
The green spaces in the neighbourhood are ideal for socialising. We want to organise more activities here. |
Stimenz, Samen055, residents |
|
Preservation of shops and other amenities |
De Horsten has a number of shops and community facilities. We are doing our best to keep it that way. |
Housing associations, Samen055, the local council, residents, business owners |
|
More car-sharing vehicles |
We are aiming to increase the number of car-sharing vehicles in the neighbourhood. |
Local authority, residents, market |
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