No more supermarkets larger than 500 square metres will be allowed to open in Groningen’s city centre, following a decision by the local council.
In December GIC reported that this decision covers the area within the Diepenring, excluding the Westerhaven area. The city centre currently has six ‘large’ supermarkets, that are at least 500 square metres big; two branches of Jumbo and four of Albert Heijn. According to the Board of Aldermen and the mayor, the number of supermarkets could be reduced to five.
The number of supermarkets has grown severely in recent years. Although they provide daily needs for Groningen residents, the municipal government believes the supermarkets cause pressure on public spaces due to parked bicycles, more traffic, and trucks that have to load and unload.
In addition to putting a stop to new supermarkets, the municipality also wants to ban the establishment of supermarkets in buildings that a predecessor has vacated. In this way, they can limit the number of supermarkets.