Wassenaard residents help shape the Environmental Vision 2040
The municipality of Wassenaar is working on an Environmental Vision for 2040. The vision outlines how Wassenaar can develop toward 2040 in the areas of housing, transportation, nature, heritage, sustainability, and public amenities. The municipality believes it is important for the vision to align closely with what residents consider important. That is why the municipality organized several public engagement events in June and July.
Opportunities for Participation
To give as many residents as possible the opportunity to contribute their ideas, the municipality organized several events on different days and at various times:
• During three drop-in sessions at the library, visitors could obtain information about the Environmental Vision and discuss it. Information panels outlined the various themes, and visitors could indicate their preferred choices for each theme.
• The municipality also engaged with residents at two locations in Wassenaar. On Wednesday, July 1, and Friday, July 3, a team with a coffee cart was on hand. While enjoying a cup of coffee, residents shared their ideas and wishes for the future of Wassenaar.
• Young people could respond to various statements via Instagram. This was part of the online youth campaign WassUp!
Valuable input
The engagement sessions generated a lot of feedback. Through the street conversations, we reached a broad group of residents, including young people, seniors, and expats.
Green spaces, nature, and heritage
The conversations and responses show that residents greatly value Wassenaar’s green, village-like, and small-scale character. Preserving nature, the landscape, and green buffers around the village was frequently mentioned, as was protecting Wassenaar’s cultural-historical character.
Living
In addition, residents indicated that there is a need for affordable housing for first-time buyers, young people, and seniors, with many participants noting that any expansion must be carried out carefully and in keeping with the scale of the village.
Traffic and Amenities
Road safety, accessibility to the town center, and reducing traffic congestion at locations such as Rozenplein were also mentioned in the responses. Furthermore, residents called for good amenities for people of all ages, including play and sports facilities, gathering places, public transportation, and an attractive and vibrant town center with space for local businesses.
Continued
The municipality would like to thank everyone who contributed their ideas. In the coming period, the municipality will carefully review all responses and, where possible, incorporate them into the further development of the Environmental Vision.
The municipality is preparing a public participation report explaining how the responses received have been incorporated. You will receive more information about this after the summer. The city council is expected to adopt the Environmental Vision in the spring of 2027.
We will share more information and the full interim report on public participation and progress at www.wassenaar.nl/omgevingsvisie-wassenaar
