The first plans for a new inner-city in Assen were presented to the city council yesterday
Translated by Thomas Ansell
The new vision for Assen’s city centre was presented to the city council yesterday, reports the Asser Courant. There will now be a three-week public consultation (available here), with the council asking for as many opinions on the plans as possible.
After various special and economic analyses were carried out by various planning bureaus, it is expected that retail space in the city centre will shrink by about 40,000 square metres (it is currently 100,000 square metres).
The bureaus have advised that a compact centre anchored around De Nieuwe Kolk arts centre, the Koopmansplein, and the Drents museum is the best plan to future-proof the city. Shopping streets outside of this area are likely to be phased towards having different functions.
The Gemeente Assen wants to present its plans in a number of digital meetings, with business-owners, residents, and property owners all asked to have their say. “No concrete has yet been poured, and we want to know what the city thinks”, says wethouder Mirjam Pauwels (VVD). “We will have to make difficult choices, and we want to take as many people as possible along with us”, she added.
For residents that cannot get online but want information and to give their opinion, the gemeente will be running a telephone meeting on Tuesday November 10 and Thursday November 12.
Broadened plans are likely to be announced at the beginning of 2021.
Image (of the Drents Museum) by Wikimedia user Ziko. License here.
