The Smallingerland municipal council has voted in favour of allowing shops in Drachten to remain open any days and hours they choose, even during national holidays.
By Marieke Bos / Translation by Traci White
Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, 4 and 5 May – even at 8 p.m.: from now on, shops in the Frisian city of Drachten can be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The municipal council in Smallingerland was set to vote on whether or not to let shops be open on Sundays. The majority of the council wound up approving of a proposal by D66 to scrap limits on opening hours altogether.
According to the Leeuwarder Courant, Drachten’s new policy is the most flexible in the entire Netherlands: even the biggest cities, like Amsterdam and Rotterdam, have some limitations on the days and times that shops have to be closed.
Drachten mayor Tom van Mourik says that he will look into the implications of the decision, including discussing it with the police, to determine whether the proposal is actually feasible.
Photo source: Wikipedia