Saturday 9 June 2007

Harbour replaced by car park replaced by harbour... eh?

During a walking tour of Breda, I discovered the local authority there have decided to reopen the harbour, what a good idea. But impossible of course, since it was filled in in the '60s and an underground car park built across much of it. Yet wait, this is the Netherlands, engineering watercourses is a way of life, and they want their waterfront back, so the car park gets the heave-ho (with parking relocated to a more suitable location) and the canal gets reinstated, with harbour allowing pleasure boats etc to moor up, locals and tourists to stroll or cycle the banks, and this prime city centre area to look luverly and have a sense of place, rather than just being a car park and grim road. More information on the project (in English) can be found here. You will find on that page the heartwarming (for me anyway) phrase "Plenty of space will be set aside for pedestrians and cyclists in the area" UK planners take note - they actually mean that.

No comments: