Locals want neighborhood to replace Rotterdam The Hague Airport

Residents of Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA) and the environmental association Urgenda presented a plan on Thursday to close the airport in exchange for a green residential area. The plans include thousands of homes, space for recreation, sports facilities, green areas, and better public transport.

According to the initiator BTV-Rotterdam (Residents Against Aircraft Nuisance), the airport, which covers an area the size of Rotterdam's city center, causes "serious health problems and nuisance for more than 100,000 residents". The new district will provisionally be called "Stadskwartier Noorderbos.” It will provide 12,500 homes for at least 25,000 people, space for 10,000 new jobs, and a large water storage area. The new district is to be built in a climate-neutral way and can withstand extreme conditions in the future.

Last month, the province of Zuid-Holland launched an investigation into the implications of converting Rotterdam Airport into a business park, recreational area, nature reserve, or residential area.

It is highly questionable whether there is a majority for this plan in Rotterdam City Council. A survey conducted by the Rotterdam City Council in 2023 revealed that six out of ten Rotterdam residents would like to keep the airport, which was opened in 1956 as a facility for business flights, for the city. Last year, the airport handled 2.2 million passengers, mainly vacation flights.

Director Marjan Minnesma of the environmental organization Urgenda is positive about the plan's feasibility to build a residential area on the site where Rotterdam The Hague Airport is currently located.

"If you only ask people whether they want to keep the airport, they will quickly say 'yes.' Because nobody wants to lose anything," says Minnesma. "But if you say that we can build houses for more than 25,000 people, arrange jobs for 10,000 people, prevent flooding in the future, how do you weigh that against an extra half hour of travel to Schiphol?," referring to the survey in which the majority of Rotterdam residents spoke out in favor of retaining the airport.

"Then it might be a different story," says Minnesma. "You counter it with something very positive. The plan is intended to start that discussion. The residents do not just want to be against it, but also for something, for a beautiful green-blue city district with super good public transport. It is not just a sketch or an idea. We hope it will receive more serious attention and be a starting point for a serious search. If you solve so many problems, both for Rotterdam and for the region, is this not worth trying?"

Last year, the environmental service DCMR received over 150,000 reports of air traffic nuisance, a number that increases every year. The noise caused by planes disturbs the sleep of tens of thousands of people and causes stress. In addition, the planes also lead to poorer air quality, Omroep West reported.

Rotterdam alderman Pascal Lansink-Bastemeijer, responsible for the airport, confirmed that the board has no plans for a new destination. "This board has agreed that the airport will remain open. I am focusing on reducing noise pollution for local residents," he said.