Apeldoorn has a vibrant city centre with plenty of shops, restaurants and cultural attractions. Here you’ll find, for example, the town hall, the Orpheus Theatre and CODA. In addition, nearly 8,000 people live in this district. There are just over 5,000 homes, ranging from old townhouses to flats.
Compared with the rest of Apeldoorn, the city centre scores highly in terms of amenities. That’s only to be expected, of course: it’s the place to go for great shops and all sorts of activities.
On the other hand, you’ll also come across real ‘city problems’ here: heavier traffic, more nuisance and more theft. Even so, the city centre is quite safe compared to other cities.
When it comes to quality of life, it is clear that the city centre is less suitable for families. The supply of detached houses is lower than in other parts of Apeldoorn.
Residents of the city centre feel less connected to their neighbourhood than the average for Apeldoorn. There are slightly higher levels of loneliness, anxiety and depression. Fortunately, the figures are not cause for concern. However, these are issues we take seriously.
When you walk through the city centre, you immediately notice that it’s undergoing rapid development. Shops are being refurbished. Old offices are being converted into attractive residential spaces. New buildings are under construction. And we’re also looking at ways to make the city a bit greener.
So there’s a lot going on in the city centre. How do we ensure that all these projects and plans tie in with one another? How do we ensure that the city centre is – and remains – a pleasant place? To this end, we have drawn up an action plan. It sets out what we are doing to make the city centre a little more attractive, so that we maintain a good balance between a vibrant city and a liveable city.
In the coming period, we will be focusing particularly on eight areas. First of all, housing and shops: we are working hard to create more housing and attractive shops. We are also doing a great deal to improve public spaces: more green spaces, attractive streets and squares. Smooth and safe traffic flows are on the agenda. We’re looking at the social environment to ensure people feel at home and receive good care. We want to reduce nuisance and improve safety. And finally, we’re investing time and money in events and entrepreneurship, in art and culture, and in sustainability.
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Objective |
Action/Point for attention |
Who |
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A lovely shopping centre and beautiful squares |
We are working on plans to refurbish the Oranjerie and the Korenpassage. In the heart of the city, we are making Caterplein greener. And we are building the Markthal. |
Local authority, property developers, contractors |
|
Accessible and quiet town centre |
We want a city centre that’s easy to get to. But we don’t want it to get any busier. We want the heart of the city to be car-free. That’s why we’re looking at walking and cycling routes and parking spaces. |
Local authority, Apeldoorn Partners |
|
Clarity on car and bicycle use in the city |
Sometimes it’s unclear where you can park cheaply. The rules for cycling in the city are also sometimes unclear: where am I allowed to cycle, and where can I park my bike? We’re going to improve this. |
Local authority, Apeldoorn Partners |
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A city that is accessible to everyone |
The centre must be easily accessible to people with reduced mobility. We are constantly working on this. |
Municipality |
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Safer roads |
Where in the city centre is the traffic unsafe? We’re looking into this so that we can take action afterwards. |
Municipality |
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Public toilets that are easy to find |
People can’t always find the public toilets in the city centre. We’re going to make it clearer where they are. |
Municipality |
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Neighbourhoods with a high quality of life |
Some neighbourhoods require extra attention. In consultation with local residents, we will be looking into the quality of life in these areas. These include, amongst others, Kalverstraat and Amaliapark. |
Local council, police, Stimenz, Ons Huis housing association |
|
Pleasant meeting places, more contact with neighbours |
We want to create more meeting places in the city. Ideally, these should be suitable for people of all ages. On the Stadskade, we’re working to improve relations between neighbours. |
Parish, Stimenz, Philadelphia, Ons Huis Housing Association |
|
Less clutter on the street |
We are looking into whether containers can be removed from the streets. We will also be emptying litter bins more frequently. We will be carrying out cleaning operations on public holidays and improving waste separation at events. |
Municipality, Circulus |
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Preventing harassment and intimidation |
In the city centre, there are issues such as noise, litter, alcohol, drugs, bicycles and scooters. We will be carrying out checks to address these. We are also working with the hospitality sector to see how we can reduce these issues. We will also be providing information on what is and isn’t allowed. |
Local council, police, ODVeluwe, KHN |
|
The centre’s own character |
We want to give the nightlife district a more distinctive character. And we’re going to illuminate the Town Hall. |
City Centre Management, Apeldoorn Partners, the local council |
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A more appealing range of activities |
An events calendar is in the pipeline. We are also working on more centre-wide activities, as well as a programme of events for the Markthal. We are making decisions regarding late-night shopping and Sunday shopping. |
Local authority, centre management |
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A clear vision of the future of the city centre, greater cooperation |
Especially for business owners, we’ve put together an overview of the changes coming to the city centre. We’re also looking at whether business owners and the local council can work even more closely together. |
Local council, neighbourhood council, shopping centre management, KHN |
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More sustainable buildings |
We provide information on sustainability and grants. This helps homeowners and shop owners to make their properties more sustainable. |
Municipality |
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Objective |
Action/Point for attention |
Who |
|
More housing in the city centre |
We are working in all sorts of places to create more space for homes and businesses. For example, through the redevelopment of Hertzberger Park; through new-build projects, such as the Cascade building; and by drawing up major plans for various sites, such as the Van Zevenhuizen site. |
Property developer |
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Development of the Harbour Centre |
One area where we are very busy is Haven Centrum. We are creating housing (De Silo, De Molen). More space is being made available for businesses (De Ambacht). We are refurbishing Omnizorg. And we are redesigning some streets, pavements and green spaces. |
Local authorities, property developers, building contractors |
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More green spaces and more play areas in town |
We want to make the city centre greener. This will make it more attractive and better able to cope with climate change. For example, by redesigning the streets. We are also looking into whether more play areas can be created. And we are trying to improve the links with the neighbourhoods surrounding the city centre. |
Municipality, city centre management, Apeldoorn Partners, Stimenz |
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Clarity regarding parking spaces |
We are looking into whether we should make it clearer where there are free parking spaces. |
Apeldoorn |
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A better range of shops and catering outlets |
To make the town even more attractive, we’re looking at what’s missing in terms of shops and restaurants. We’re also going to find out how we can give visitors the best possible welcome. |
Municipality, city centre management, Apeldoorn Partners |
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Cultural hubs |
We want to make more room for the arts. For example, by creating new ‘cultural hubs’. By making greater use of the Town Hall for cultural purposes. And by organising an Apeldoorn Culture Month. |
Local authority, partners |
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Experience history |
Apeldoorn has some lovely historic spots. We want to make sure you can experience that ‘history’ more fully. For example, the Façade Fund enables shops to restore their old façades. |
Local authority, centre management |
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Objective |
Action/Point for attention |
Who |
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Clean transport to the city centre |
We’re looking into whether electric transport can be introduced to the city centre. That way, you can get there quickly, quietly and cleanly. |
Municipality |
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Adequate care and wellbeing |
The city centre is growing rapidly. We want to ensure that there are still sufficient healthcare and welfare services for all (new) residents. |
Municipality |
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Open-air theatre |
We are looking into the possibility of building an open-air theatre. |
Municipality |
Would you like more information about the vitality agenda?
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