Free front garden makeover for Breda tenants to boost greenery and community
Breda tenants can now transform their paved front gardens into green spaces for free, thanks to a collaboration between the municipality and housing corporations. The initiative aims to enhance biodiversity, improve street appeal, and foster neighborhood connections.
| Key Data | Details |
|---|---|
| Initiative | Free greening of front gardens for tenants |
| Organizers | Municipality of Breda, Alwel, WonenBreburg, Laurentius, Stichting Straatboer |
| Target Area | Verbeter Breda Wijken (Improve Breda Neighbourhoods) |
| Number of Gardens | First 50 registrations |
| Garden Size | Up to 4m² of greenery replacing paving stones |
| Support Provided | Materials, planting, and two follow-up maintenance visits |
| Start Date | April 2026 |
| Street Farmer | Lianne van Beek |
| Alderman Responsible | Arjen van Drunen (Equal Opportunities) |
The municipality of Breda plays a key role in urban development and sustainability initiatives, working closely with housing corporations to improve living conditions for residents. This project aligns with broader municipal goals to enhance green spaces and community well-being in neighborhoods.
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Breda greens front gardens with tenants
Residents, housing corporations and the municipality are joining forces.
Together with the municipality of Breda, the city’s housing corporations Alwel, WonenBreburg and Laurentius are taking a new step in further greening the city. Tenants can now register for free greening of their front gardens. The implementation will be carried out in collaboration with Stichting Straatboer.
Working together towards a greener Breda
Breda recently appointed its own street farmer, Lianne van Beek: “It is my great wish that every resident can enjoy a beautiful, colourful and green front garden.”
Green front gardens not only enhance the appearance of the street but also contribute to a more pleasant living environment. Alderman Arjen van Drunen (equal opportunities) said: “More plants and flowers bring more birds and butterflies to the streets. But the project also has an important social value. By working together, neighbourhood residents meet and get to know each other better.”
By working together, neighbourhood residents meet and get to know each other better.
Alderman Arjen van Drunen
Equal opportunities
What does the greening involve?
The front gardens that can be registered are currently (almost) completely paved over. In place of some paving stones, a green strip of up to 4m² will be created. This will involve the circular reuse of existing plants, for example through donations (of cuttings) from individuals or surplus from gardeners.
Tenants who participate will receive support from Stichting Straatboer. This includes:
- The social employment organisation replaces some paving stones in the front garden with plants;
- The employees of Straatboer arrange all materials and planting;
- The greening is free of charge for the tenant;
- The work takes one half-day (if possible, the resident helps with the work in the front garden);
- After completion, the Straatboer team returns twice to provide support and maintenance tips.
Once the garden project is complete, residents are responsible for its maintenance.
Successful previous projects
In recent years, many tenants in other Dutch cities have had their front gardens greened by Stichting Straatboer. The results show that this leads to greater biodiversity and a more pleasant street scene.
Registration
Tenants of Alwel, WonenBreburg and Laurentius can register directly via their housing corporation’s website. Stichting Straatboer will then contact them personally to schedule a visit. The project will start in April. Initially, the offer applies to the first 50 registrations for front gardens in the Verbeter Breda Wijken (Improve Breda Neighbourhoods). This choice was made because the initiative aligns with the objectives of the Verbeter Breda programme, ‘Good living in a pleasant neighbourhood’.
Questions?
For questions, residents can contact their housing corporation. More information about Stichting Straatboer is available here (link is external).
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