Spanish Polder increasingly safer – and why that is important for the whole city

The Spanish Polder and North-West, as it is officially called, is an industrial area in the west of the city, about the size of 266 football fields. There are over 1,600 companies and more than 20,000 people work there. Most residents do not come here often. Yet we use products from here every day. Think of the spices from Verstegen or the coffee pods from Eurocaps. There are also many companies and wholesalers that supply stores.

Illegal Cannabis Cultivation

‘Now it is an area with many good entrepreneurs, but for years that was different,’ says Bart van der Ende, project leader for undermining at the municipality. ‘Among the good companies were also criminal and fraudulent businesses. They used their premises, for example, for cannabis cultivation.’

Many buildings looked closed and the area was very messy. More and more entrepreneurs felt unsafe. In 2015, entrepreneurs raised the alarm. They went to city hall. The message was clear: this cannot continue like this.

Making it more attractive

Since 2021, the municipality has been working with the Business Council in the area. Van der Ende: ‘We are really making a difference now and we do a lot to make the area more attractive. For example, there is stricter control, including with the Bibob Act. This law gives the municipality the ability to investigate, for example, the financing or management of a company. 

This way, the municipality can better check in advance and, for example, refuse a permit to a company with a dubious background. But companies already located in the Spanish Polder are also monitored. The municipality does this together with other organizations. Van der Ende: ‘For example, if we receive signals of unusual things. Like a car wash that uses only 100 liters of water per year. That is, of course, very remarkable, so we investigate that.’

Visible and involved

If necessary, the municipality takes measures. Van der Ende: ‘One of these is that car rental companies and garages must apply for an operating permit. The municipality then checks whether companies comply with the rules and whether the business is run honestly. The car companies currently located here can say: “We have a permit from the mayor and comply with the rules.”’

Van der Ende speaks with admiration about the supervisors, enforcement officers, and neighborhood police officers who are visibly present in the neighborhood day in and day out. ‘It’s a tough job,’ he says. ‘They make a valuable contribution to improving the Spanish Polder. They are the first point of contact in a rough area and enforce where necessary.’ 

‘Good idea? We can help’

According to the project leader for undermining, entrepreneurs notice the change and increasingly know how to find the municipality. Good cooperation, social media, and the neighborhood hub in the middle of the area help with this. ‘If an entrepreneur comes in with an idea, we can help immediately. If someone wants to start a business here, we can immediately tell them where to go.’

Also for Rotterdam residents who never come to the Spanish Polder, this approach is important. A safe and good industrial area ensures that products are made fairly, people can work safely, and the city becomes stronger. Van der Ende concludes: ‘And more is happening in the Spanish Polder. For example, work is also being done on sustainability. That also contributes to a better appearance of the Spanish Polder.’ 

Together we make today and tomorrow

The Spanish Polder is a special industrial area: large, in the middle of the city, and with space for heavy companies. That is why a clear plan has been made to improve the area step by step. This area vision shows how the Spanish Polder should look in 2035. Together with the Business Council, the municipality is working on an action program with concrete measures.

If you want to know what is happening on the site, visit www.despaansepolder.nl. Link opens an external page.