Rotterdam city council minority wants 10,000 homes, park on airport site

Five parties in the Rotterdam city council announced their goal to build 10,000 homes in the Zestienhoven area, where Rotterdam The Hague Airport is currently located.

The five parties, GroenLinks, PvdA, SP, Partij voor de Dieren, and ChristenUnie-SGP, want the 220-hectare airport to be demolished, they said last week. Houses and a 60 hectare park could take its place, along with other green spaces, and new, innovative companies. The plan includes input from local residents and social organisations.

There is a desperate shortage of affordable housing and green spaces in the city, according to GroenLinks city councillor Astrid Kockelkoren. "We want to turn the airport site into a contemporary city district with beautiful, affordable homes in the middle of greenery. The airport creates a great deal of noise pollution for local residents. In addition, it is a gigantic emitter of particulate matter, CO2 and nitrogen. In times of a climate- and a housing crisis, this can no longer be justified. Also, the economic value of all those cheap holiday flights is nil. With our plan, we ensure a sustainable and healthy future for Zestienhoven," she said.

The five parties account for 14 of the 45 seats on the Rotterdam city council. They want the mayor and aldermen to carry out a proper social cost and benefit analysis, to enter into discussions with residents about their ideas about the new district, and to focus on shrinking Rotterdam The Hague Airport as an intermediate step towards closure.

Rotterdam wants to build 50,000 new homes by 2040. According to the plan presented by the five parties plan, the new district must be as large as Katendrecht and the Kop van Zuid combined. The planned park will be twice as large as Het Park near the Euromast.