The Municipality of Moerdijk Receives 1 Million Euros for the Fijnaart Downtown Development
Dertien gemeenten ontvangen in totaal €22 miljoen van het Rijk om hun winkelgebied aan te pakken. Dat heeft minister Dirk Beljaarts van Economische Zaken (EZ) vandaag bekendgemaakt. In veel gemeenten neemt het aantal leegstaande winkels toe, waardoor winkelgebieden minder aantrekkelijk worden voor bewoners en bezoekers. Nederlandse gemeenten konden financiële ondersteuning aanvragen om winkelgebieden weer aantrekkelijk te maken voor zowel bewoners als bezoekers.
Vanuit het programma vitale centra is er gezocht naar mogelijkheden om een aanvraag vanuit Moerdijk in te dienen voor deze regeling. In afstemming met de Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) is het centrumplan in Fijnaart ingediend voor deze regeling. Onze aanvraag voor het centrumplan Fijnaart is goedgekeurd.
Making the city center more compact
“As the Municipal Executive, we have an agreement with the Moerdijk City Council to seek co-financing for our municipal investments. It’s great to see that the time we’ve invested is now paying off in the form of this 1 million euro contribution from the Ministry of Economic Affairs for the Fijnaart downtown development,” explains Alderman Danny Dingemans. By redesigning the area and improving the quality of buildings and public spaces, the shopping experience will be enhanced. This investment in the core shopping district indirectly contributes to a wide range of related municipal initiatives. For example, the redevelopment of the area is being used as an opportunity to design the surroundings in a climate-adaptive manner, such as by greening public spaces and making them climate-resilient.
Investing in Public Spaces
Making the town center more compact, connecting its various functions, and strengthening partnerships are not enough on their own. To transform Fijnaart from a place for grocery shopping into an attractive community hub, it is important that there be sufficient space in the town center for people to meet, spend time, and celebrate. Public space plays a central role in conjunction with the intensification of functions and activities, ensuring that the atmosphere is welcoming not just occasionally, but all year round. The village is unequivocal on this point: “Fenderts are sociable people; they want that sense of community back! A lively village center where people can meet!” It is also important that there be space here for all groups in the village and that there be sufficient social oversight.