Arnhem plans to shrink city center shopping area to free up space

Arnhem wants the shopping area in the center of the city to contract, and will not allow new retail stores to open on streets at the edge of the district. Instead, the capital of Gelderland wants retail spaces to be freed up for both creative and traditional activities.

Additionally, no new rapid delivery services will be allowed in the center, apart from the two companies that are already there. The city center must change from a “place to buy” to a “place to meet,” the mayor and aldermen wrote in a proposal to the council on Tuesday.

Arnhem is one of the most popular shopping cities in the Netherlands. But the city council leadership believes that much has changed in recent years. The number of shops have decreased, while the hospitality industry has grown. Due to the coronavirus crisis, there is more vacancy, while the diversity of shops available in the city has declined. The political leaders think changes are necessary to keep the city center “vibrant and liveable.”

By banning new shops in a number of streets on the edge of the city center, the municipality wants to attract more business to the busiest streets. In those streets, it is no longer allowed to live on the ground floor of buildings. There is no space for new fast food outlets and snack bars.

The mayor and alderman are proposing a transitional period of two years, so that property owners have time to take action and prepare for the changes.