Preview: What does the municipality want with the center of Haren? – Haren the newspaper

The plans for the Raadhuisplein are widely known. A project developer has bought Haderaplein and will realize apartments, commercial spaces and a supermarket with its own parking lot. After legal clashes with local residents, construction will soon begin. But is that the whole story? What will the whole place actually look like? We would like to know now.

After years, the people of Haren (and the editors of this newspaper) sometimes wonder what the municipality wants with the center of the village. Will there be a metamorphosis? If we ask about the progress of the Raadhuisplein in autumn 2021 and this spring, it turns out that there is nothing to report (yet). If you want to know more about ‘paid parking’, the municipality of Haren has been saying since 2016 that you have to wait for the ‘vision centre’. In order to be able to consult the maps of the municipality, we took a look in a concept “Plan for the implementation of the vision of the center”, which we were able to get our hands on by way of a detour.

Goals
In the article, the goals of the central vision are listed. ‘Haderaplein closes Haren Tower. Greening, climate resistant and meeting space. Improve parking and circulation.’ Now, let’s make this concrete.

Taste 1: A green village?
Regarding the look and feel of the centre, they say: “The Center Vision specifically wants the green and leafy character of Haren to be reflected in the central area. (..) In addition, there are public space wishes in terms of meeting places and accessibility: good walking routes, entrances to shops, benches for resting and spaces for sports, games and events. It will be music to many people’s ears.

Preview 2: Water element and hedges
“During the realization, we are particularly interested in the permanent planting of hedges, shrubs and trees, in which the attractiveness for insects and butterflies also plays a role. We are also testing the feasibility of installing a water feature in the center as part of the water storage facility. In addition to a strong greening on the Raadhuisplein, we are also investigating the possibilities of greening between the sidewalk and the roadway in the center, which would reduce fossilization.

Preview 3: Concrete interventions
The concept also includes specific interventions. An anthology:
*Explore the “few hours” free parking option.
* Dress up the council house square better, improve the experience
* Rue de l’Eglise more terraces
* Set up bicycle parking

Rock
The plan says about the Raadhuisplein: “Reduce petrified space, create biodiversity, open up the ground and also ensure good soil biodiversity, create shaded areas with greenery, ensure that water does not does not flow into sewers, but can seep into the basement.

The Center Vision concept ends with a schedule that has not yet been completed. So that doesn’t say much. But thanks to the overview above, we have at least now discovered how the municipality wants to beautify the village of Haren.

Municipality response
Manon Hoiting declared on behalf of the municipality: “The zoning plan was irrevocably adopted at the beginning of the year after a final decision by the Council of State. It was also the time for the municipality to tackle the outstanding action points of the Centrum Haren Action Plan 2018, which notably concern the improvement of the quality of the public space of the center and in particular the Raadhuisplein. A substantial part of the net land proceeds from the sale of the land for the realization of the building plan will be used to further green this place. This is fully in line with the municipality’s ambition to provide more space in public space for greenery, meeting places and climate adaptation. The municipality intends to work out the creation of a new public space on Raadhuisplein (….) in collaboration with the village (residents, entrepreneurs, etc.). The document quoted is an internal preparatory decision. (….) We hope to be able to start working on a new design in the spring of 2023.”

Disclaimer: Haren de Krant bases himself on a “concept” and legitimizes himself by saying that Haren has been waiting for information for so long. It’s time to find out what’s going to happen. Admittedly, the delay was mainly due to local residents expressing objections to the plans up to the Council of State.