The employees of Dutch yacht builder Royal van Lent Shipyard, on the Dutch island of Kagereiland, will be able to park their cars on the land of cut hydrangea nursery Hip Holland / Flower Traveler BV, in Buitenkaag, starting April 2024. The yacht builder has reached an agreement with the nursery to demolish part of the greenhouses and use this land for the parking lot.
This was desperately needed, because the village has been under great pressure for years due to a lack of parking space, as the yacht builder, among others, has achieved significant growth, reports Greenport Aalsmeer. Employees of Royal van Lent Shipyard parked in Buitenkaag and then took the ferry to work in Kaag. That was done in the yacht builder's own parking lot, but since this lot was much too small, parking was also done in public parking lots in the village.
In Buitenkaag, there is currently a greenhouse farming area spanning over 17 hectares. Because of its limited scale, it was an area with the potential to be transformed for other functions. At the request of the Municipality of Haarlemmermeer, Greenport Aalsmeer worked to get a good picture of the needs and wishes of the established greenhouse horticulture companies.
One of such needs was the creation of additional parking space for the employees of the yacht builder on Kagereiland. Dave Vlaming, program manager at Greenport Aalsmeer, said that "Greenport Aalsmeer backed nursery Hip Holland / Flower Traveler BV in the planning of the partial redevelopment and in estimating the cost of having greenhouses modified and hiring urban planning experts."
Ideas, visions, starting points and design scenarios were discussed and exchanged between Spaargaren, the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, Royal Van Lent and Greenport Aalsmeer in several planning sessions. The result: a backed and feasible plan, including an agreement that Spaargaren's land can be used as a parking lot for the yacht builder's employees.
Livability
Rob Spaargaren, owner of Hip Holland / Flower Traveler BV, said that "thanks to the constructive thinking of Greenport Aalsmeer, we have come up with a solution for Buitenkaag's persistent parking problems, which is backed by all interested parties. After years of issues with parking, the village is regaining some of its livability. It is an ideal solution, although it wasn't easy an easy process, due to the regulations surrounding it. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of Royal Van Lent, the municipality, the province and Greenport, it has come to fruition."
End to traffic congestion
In addition to the expansion of the existing parking facility, a direct access road to Hoofdweg Oostzijde will also be created, eliminating the need for Royal Van Lent's commuting traffic to go through the village and greatly reducing traffic congestion. Alderman Marja Ruigrok (Traffic & Transport) of the Municipality of Haarlemmermeer, said that "I am happy that there will finally be an end to years of parking nuisance for the residents of Buitenkaag. It is great that we have managed to achieve this through a joint effort. With the new parking space and the new access road, I hope the village will finally get the peace and quiet it deserves."
Source: Greenport Aalsmeer