The Province of North Holland has made € 1.2 million available. Additionally, there is a solar panel fund for municipalities (€ 300,000).

The last time a similar scheme was open, the municipality of Haarlem and Parkmanagement Waarderpolder jointly took advantage of it. They submitted a subsidy application together last spring to further green the business area on the edge of Haarlem. This was done through this subsidy page: Future-Proof Business Areas North Holland.  

The idea was accessible and had the catchy message: ‘plant a hedge for your fence’. “Greening contributes to a future-proof business area,” says Stan Verstraete, process manager for sustainability at Parkmanagement Waarderpolder. “It provides space for certain animal species. Hedges can provide shelter for birds and small animals. At the same time, they improve the appearance of the environment. Greening also provides shade and cooling. This is nice for employees who take a lunch walk. They appreciate it when there is greenery in their work environment. That’s why we do this.”  

Material Coach

According to Verstraete, Waarderpolder is a well-organized business area where entrepreneurs are actively engaged in sustainability. Thanks to subsidy schemes from the province, solar panels are now installed on many business roofs. A material coach helps companies reduce their waste, lower waste costs, process their waste streams in a circular manner, and advises them on using circular materials in their production process. Waarderpolder also has concrete plans for the development of 2 small wind turbines and is working on an energy collective with Liander. 

For the green project in 2024, Verstraete was inspired by the Business Association Beverkoog in Alkmaar. “Everyone was very enthusiastic about ‘hedges for fences’ there. ‘That should work here too,’ I thought. When the province approved the subsidy application in September 2024, we immediately started communicating with entrepreneurs. We indicated what we planned and what benefits that would bring. There was €16,000 in subsidy; a nice amount.”

500 meters of hedge

But in Haarlem, the practice turned out to be more stubborn. The goal was to attract 10 companies for the project. They would together plant 500 meters of hedge in the business park. “In the end, 8 companies showed interest,” says Verstraete. “That interest would yield a joint hedge of 400 meters.”

To get the job done, Parkmanagement Waarderpolder approached several landscapers. After a bidding process, the best one was selected based on price and quality. Thanks to the provinces subsidy, Waarderpolder could offer the 8 companies that wanted a hedge a 25 percent discount on the total landscaping costs. Verstraete: “Unfortunately, 5 companies dropped out because they still found the amount too steep.”

According to the process manager, greening is “a matter of long breath,” but he also sees room for improvement. “For a potential next hedge project, we need to clearly have and communicate the expected costs to companies in advance. Many entrepreneurs are immediately enthusiastic. ‘Great, plant a hedge; go ahead!’ you hear. But ultimately it is custom work, and that involves some effort. Such as the professional guidance of a landscaper who deals with biodiversity. There is a price tag attached to that. The fact that most companies ultimately dropped out is an eye-opener for us to provide a cost estimate much earlier in the process in the future. So that entrepreneurs have visibility on that immediately.”

The Honest Story

The experiences gained are nonetheless valuable, says Verstraete. “We are doing this project for the first time. Sometimes something works very well, sometimes less so. By trying, you find out. Of course, we will not stop greening. There is so much more we are working on here. From tree distribution day to removing unnecessary hardening on the site. Every bit of greening helps, and we see many beautiful examples on our site. Naturally, I would have preferred to see companies lining up for hedges, but this is the honest story. We learn from this.” 
Ready to improve business and harbor areas? Check the subsidy scheme.