Photographer: Gerard Verschooten

09-11-2018 | Today marks a big moment for the new city centre development Hart van Waalsprong in the Hof van Holland district in Nijmegen. By signing a Land Allocation Contract, area and real estate developers AM and VanWonen have confirmed their intentions to acquire land from the municipality on which to create a new, sustainable city centre. The consortium is currently further working out its plans, which includes detailed designs for housing, shopping areas and public areas. The first homes are expected to go on the market in the autumn of 2019.

At a previous stage, housing associations Portaal and Talis had already committed themselves to acquire 100 social rental homes within the project. Syntrus Achmea has come forward as a potential investor for the shopping areas and private sector rental homes.

Distinctive, future-based and connective

The contemporary Hart van de Waalsprong development exceeds the already high ambitions of the municipal authorities and is therefore is a perfect match for Nijmegen. It will be a sustainable, buzzing city district with a distinctive character of its own. With ground level (city)housing, apartments for sale and the rental market as well as social rental housing, the project offers ample opportunities for a diverse range of people. The Hart van de Waalsprong development aims to provide supplementary facilities for all Waalsprong residents; a centre that offers functionality as well as social interaction due to a combination of shopping areas, social facilities, residential communities, offices and attractive public areas.

First energy-neutral shopping centre

The public areas are well thought out and provide pleasant, lively and socially safe residential spaces. The entire project is designed to bring people together and to stimulate spontaneous social interaction between residents and visitors. The district is designated as a ‘mixed village’ for people from all walks of life and will accommodate the country’s first energy-neutral shopping centre. AM and VanWonen have deliberately set the bar very high for this ambitious development.

Hart van de Waalsprong
The area spans almost seven hectares and accommodates approximately 12,000 m2 of public facilities and 450 homes spread out over nine residential blocks. The approximately 235 private and 215 rental homes, of which 100 social and 115 private rental homes, are spread out over the district. The main concentration of shops, which also include suppliers of regional produce, lies at the central square, where people can do their daily shopping. The square also accommodates contemporary restaurants and coffee shops.

Sustainability
The Hart van de Waalsprong aims to be an ‘energy-neutral village’, featuring the country’s most sustainable shopping centre and characterised by the use of solar panels and other sustainable applications. Sustainable solutions such as solar pergolas and innovative so-called ‘wadis’ are also applied in the public gardens, green roofs and water features. Even the mobility solutions are sustainable. Energy charged to the batteries of the jointly used electric cars in daytime can be used to provide electricity for the homes in the evening.

Smart mobility
The district’s mobility concept is unique. When residents buy or rent a home, they receive a mobility subscription. This gives them access to various electric cars and bicycles that are strategically located throughout the district. The mobility concept changes according to demand and may be different in the future.

Planning
The inauguration of the shopping centre is scheduled for the end of 2021, followed by completion of the entire city district at the end of 2024. In anticipation of developments, AM and VanWonen are also investigating the possibility of temporarily accommodating and opening a central facility at an earlier stage. For more information, go to www.hartvandewaalsprong.nl.