The National Redevelopment Programme

From disused to redeveloped

The Netherlands is emptier than many of us realise. The country has almost seven million square metres of unused office space. Almost 40,000 apartments above shops are unused. The list of disused premises grows by one farm a day, two churches a week, and one monastery a month. Factories, schools, town halls, army barracks and other distinctive buildings are also falling empty. Among all these empty premises, over a thousand listed buildings await a new future.

But disused buildings are about more than simply numbers and square metres. These buildings have already lived a full life, and have a story to tell, as becomes clear time and again when they are redeveloped. These buildings hold great attraction and  inspire investment. Redevelopment is good for the local economy and can sometimes give the whole town a boost. Redeveloped buildings often become icons that act as a crystallisation point for the redevelopment of the entire area. Redevelopment also helps preserve buildings that define a place’s identity, and is therefore also important in a cultural sense. More and more environmental and sustainability arguments are also emerging in favour of renovation and redevelopment, instead of demolition and new construction.

National Redevelopment Programme

The government has considered the huge task of redevelopment both in its Policy Document on Architecture and in its new policy on heritage management. Redevelopment has become one of the main pillars of policy.

The government has commissioned the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) to put into action this renewed focus on the redevelopment of characteristic buildings and complexes. The RCE has accordingly established the National Redevelopment Programme to foster redevelopment. The programme has a permanent core of staff, supplemented as necessary by subject experts. The RCE is facilitating the programme.

National Redevelopment Agenda

It was however clear from the start that this could only take shape in collaboration with stakeholders: the authorities, housing associations, developers and builders, designers and historians, owners and users. A large number of organisations with a keen interest in redevelopment are currently working hard to produce a common agenda of activities to foster redevelopment. This emerging National Redevelopment Agenda will cover the entire field, including design, regulation, cultural value, funding, the process, property developing and sustainability. It is intended above all to promote redevelopment: more redevelopment, to prevent disuse and dilapidation; and better redevelopment thanks to the removal of a number of common obstacles, allowing the different parties to get down to the actual work of redevelopment more effectively.

Outline of agenda

The National Agenda is designed to:

• Promote the practice of redevelopment
  The practice of redevelopment is the main focus, and the starting point for all action. Everyday practice can teach us what obstacles exist at operational level as well as in terms of conditions that foster or hamper redevelopment (e.g. legislation, funding structures, process optimisation). Our ambition is also to help a number of specific redevelopment projects progress.

• Develop and disseminate knowledge of redevelopment
  Every redevelopment project is unique, both technically and in terms of the process, design, programming, policy, finances and social implications, as well as how regulations and cultural heritage values are dealt with. Nevertheless, redevelopment commissions also show a large measure of overlap, with many issues arising elsewhere, too. Given the fact that redevelopment is an issue that has been around for some time, a great deal of knowledge should be available about. However, this knowledge has been found to be fragmented, difficult to access and incomplete. The development and dissemination of knowledge about redevelopment is therefore a key aspect of the agenda.

• Keep the subject on the political and public agenda
  Disuse and redevelopment are currently high on the agenda. This focus on redevelopment has been prompted to a large extent by society’s perception of the urgency of the problem of disused buildings. We must however ensure that the focus is maintained despite the complexity of the issue, the current economic uncertainty and the knowledge that it will take a long time to solve. A number of activities will therefore be undertaken in an effort to keep the subject of disuse and redevelopment on the political and public agenda. The national agenda will be endorsed by the partners involved in mid-2011.

Focus

Nearly all activities focus on the redevelopment of ‘characteristic objects, structures and complexes’, rather than the redevelopment of normal property. Nevertheless, solutions that have proved successful in the redevelopment of empty offices, for example, can also be of interest to historic buildings, and vice versa. We have not, therefore opted for the term ‘listed buildings’ (whether they have been listed by central, provincial or local government, or enjoy some other form of protection). Though this status can be important from a legal or financial point of view, in the majority of cases it makes little difference in terms knowledge transfer or keeping the issue on the agenda.

The activities approach the task of redevelopment from various perspectives, including cultural value, functional requirements, technical potential, financial conditions, legal obstacles, organisational strategy/process, area development etc. The agenda will initially be valid for four years (2010-2014).

Contact

info@herbestemming.nu
tel. +31 (0)33 421 7340