Key Region Leiden (municipalities of Katwijk, Leiden, Leiderdorp, Oegstgeest, Voorschoten and Zoeterwoude) are facing major challenges in the transition to a sustainable and future-proof economy. Densification, sustainability and greening are central. Business parks play a crucial role in this, as they house a third of the region’s jobs. Due to the increasing pressure on space and demand for business space, the existing regional business park strategy was updated in 2024.
- View update with attachment.
The new strategy, drawn up by the business parks steering committee, focuses on maintaining and improving business parks in order to ensure an attractive business climate. This is essential for the region’s economic growth and well-being, with sustainable and climate-resistant work environments at the center. The renewed strategy is the basis for future spatial developments and regional cooperation.
Business park strategy in brief
The need for business parks in the 071 region has been calculated at 47.2 to 63.5 hectares for the next 10 years. That space is needed for expansion of existing businesses, establishment of new businesses and for replacement when business parks transform into residential areas.
Offer
There is just enough supply to meet demand. Region-071 has about 70 acres of business land. Some of this is readily available and designated as business parks in zoning plans. There are also sites that could potentially be zoned as business parks but are still under investigation: Vlietzone (Leiden) IKEA location (Leiderdorp), Potgrond location (Zoeterwoude) and Valkenburg (Katwijk). These locations are needed to meet demand.
Objectives
Municipalities are making efforts to:
- effectively zoning the study sites as business parks;
- design and use space in business parks more intensively. This means building out in height where possible and parking underground, on roofs or in a central location.
Transformation Plans
Ongoing plans for residential development on industrial sites continue. This applies to the sites
- ‘t Ambacht, Katwijkerweg and Valkenburgseweg in Katwijk;
- Werninkterrein, Veilingterrein, Rooseveltstraat Trekvliet, Rooseveltstraat West and Lammenschans in Leiden;
- the Baanderij in Leiderdorp.
Municipalities will not transform any industrial sites other than the above locations until 2030. The hectares of business sites that make way for residential development must be returned elsewhere. This compensation will initially be sought within the municipal boundaries. If this does not succeed, then within the region-071.
Implementation
The business parks steering committee oversees implementation of the strategy. It consists of the aldermen of the 071 municipalities and representatives of the business community. Regular consultations are held with boards of business associations.
Background and established documents
The municipal councils of Katwijk, Leiden, Leiderdorp, Oegstgeest, Voorschoten and Zoeterwoude adopted the spatial strategy “Space for businesses in the Key Region Leiden municipalities” as a basic document in 2021. The strategy outlines how the municipalities, together with the business community, intend to maintain an attractive business location climate with sufficient and future-proof business parks.
The six municipalities involved also adopted the Business Park Strategy Implementation Plan in October 2021.
How the project began: a retrospective
There is great pressure on the Leiden region: many homes must be added, the infrastructure must be improved, as well as space for greenery and recreation, and it must still be possible to work. If the economy here is to continue to function well with sufficient jobs, space is needed: for the establishment and expansion of companies. They are the engine for employment in the region. That is why Key Region Leiden has set up the Regional Business Park Strategy project. With this in mind, Leiden and Katwijk are in the process of drawing up an administrative agreement on the compensation of business sites: if a site changes from business to housing, a site will be returned elsewhere in the region – and preferably in the municipality itself.
Regional solving
“This issue is not limited to municipal boundaries. You have to map out on a regional level what is there, what the needs are and where space can be used efficiently,” said Rogier Krabbendam of VNO-NCW West. Can certain space be used twice? Is another location more convenient for a company and its surroundings? Which terrain can/should be made more sustainable and upgraded? And where do we compensate for a site that turns into housing?
“My responsibility does not stop at the border of Katwijk,” says Maikel Bode, project manager from the municipality of Katwijk. “If you want to move a business, you literally run into your limits. You can only solve this together and make agreements about it together.”
Area director
Since 2022, an independent area director has been appointed. He can identify needs and obstacles at companies and bring them back to the steering committee. “You can’t just move a company,” Rogier clarifies. “Among other things, you have to deal with the employees of such a company. The more practically trained they are, the faster you lose them.” The director can use the signals from those companies to give weighty advice to the steering committee.
There are a lot of companies here. That’s why Rogier thinks it’s important that umbrella organizations of entrepreneurs are affiliated with Key Region Leiden: they know what’s going on, they can activate supporters and pick up sounds. “Of course interests sometimes clash, that’s allowed too. Because we know each other well, you can make that clear. The next meeting you see each other again, you have a lasting relationship with each other.”
The aldermen, in turn, have good ties with their business associations and can thus set policy at the supra-municipal level. Maikel: “You have to think regionally and then you also have to take each other into account regionally. Thanks to our regional cooperation, there is a structure, which is important for trust.”
Business cases
In a regional challenge densification and sustainability, an agency is investigating where functions can be combined, where and how sustainability is possible and which business parks can be made safer or more attractive. This is in cooperation with the Province of South Holland and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, which are providing co-financing.
Maikel: “In 2022, we want to arrive at a number of business cases. In the strategy, it has been agreed that entrepreneurs will work with municipalities to make real estate more sustainable, reduce energy consumption, climate adaptation and generate green energy.” In this way the sites become more future-proof, the business climate improves and the connection is made with other major tasks for the 071 region. These can be cleverly combined, which means that more investments can be made for this purpose, for example by the province and the state.
