Vlaardingen city centre revitalisation kicks off with entrepreneur collaboration
Vlaardingen is transforming its city centre through structured collaboration between entrepreneurs, the municipality, and property owners. Residents can expect a cleaner, safer, and more vibrant urban heart, with 3,000 new homes boosting local business and accessibility improvements.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Initiative | Centre management for Vlaardingen city centre |
| Organisers | Stichting Stadshart Vlaardingen (SSV) |
| Key Stakeholders | Entrepreneurs, municipality, property owners, police, enforcement |
| Focus Areas | Cleanliness, safety, security, green maintenance, bicycle removal |
| Long-term Plans | 3,000 new homes, library relocation, pedestrian routes, accessibility |
| Next Steps | Follow-up meeting in June 2026 |
| Contact for Entrepreneurs | Frank Luijten (municipality project leader) |
The municipality of Vlaardingen plays a central role in urban development, coordinating infrastructure projects and fostering public-private partnerships. Stichting Stadshart Vlaardingen (SSV) acts as a bridge between local government and entrepreneurs to enhance the city centre’s economic and social vitality.
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Stronger city centre thanks to collaboration between entrepreneurs in Vlaardingen
The Vlaardingen city centre is undergoing extensive development and requires a joint and structured approach. During an entrepreneurs' evening organised by the Stichting Stadshart Vlaardingen (SSV), entrepreneurs, the municipality and other stakeholders came together to set a shared direction.
With the launch of centre management, efforts are being made to strengthen collaboration between entrepreneurs, the municipality and property owners, with the shared goal of making the city centre attractive, vibrant and economically vital once again. By maintaining short lines of communication and a clear point of contact within the centre management, bottlenecks can be addressed and resolved more quickly. Entrepreneurs are actively involved in the development of the city centre, with a focus on feedback and continuity.
Building a solid organisation together
Dennis Houkes (strategic advisor at SSV) and Tim Zoeter (operational centre manager at SSV) indicated that 2026 will focus on getting the basics in order. “We have consciously chosen to first ensure calm, clarity and a solid organisation. This takes time, but from there we can build in a targeted manner.” We are actively collaborating with Frank Luijten, project leader for the city centre at the municipality, who has been the point of contact for entrepreneurs in the city centre for many years.
The first step in this process was a joint inspection of the city centre, together with the municipality, police and enforcement agencies. This has led to concrete measures in the areas of cleanliness, safety and security, such as green maintenance, the removal of abandoned bicycles and targeted inspections. This approach will be continued structurally, with periodic inspections and faster follow-up on signals from the area.
Economic boost for the city centre
In addition to these initial steps, the focus was also on the longer term. John de Geus, programme manager for the Rivierzone and Nieuwe Binnenstad at the municipality, discussed plans for housing construction and the redevelopment of existing locations, such as the relocation of the library to the Grote Kerk. In the coming years, approximately 3,000 new homes will be built in Vlaardingen. This will provide a strong economic boost for the city centre. The city centre will remain the central area for shops, hospitality and facilities, with attention paid to accessibility, pedestrian routes and the quality of the environment.
During the evening, the importance of accessibility and parking was also highlighted. In particular, plans for a car-free city centre and the closure of the Liesveldviaduct raised questions among entrepreneurs. The municipality indicated that further elaboration and participation on this topic will follow.
Moving forward together
The meeting marks the first step towards more structured collaboration in the city centre. In June, a follow-up meeting will be held for entrepreneurs and owners, during which the input gathered will be translated into concrete follow-up steps.
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- Veerplein gemeente Vlaardingen (jpg, 1 MB)