text Pieter Veenstra and Winfred Haase translation Cindy Hock
Prinsessewal redevelopment plan

In June, in edition #4 of this paper, we already reported on the dispute with the municipality about the redevelopment of the Prinsessewal. As a residents’ organisation, we are dissatisfied because it is becoming less safe for cyclists, it adds little green space and all the parking spaces at the quay need to disappear.

Unfortunately, this plan was adopted unchanged by the Municipal Council on 22 May. It was, notably, the Hart voor Den Haag party that torpedoed a VVD motion to retain all parking spaces at the Prinsessewal. We subsequently discussed this with Hart voor Den Haag and were promised that it would yet be rectified in the council meeting of 10 July. But that did not happen either, and once again we were left empty-handed.

In early July, during a meeting with the municipality, it suddenly became clear that this was not just a trial. This had always been emphasised in verbal presentations, but it now turned out that roadworks had already been planned at the Hogewal and the Piet Heinplein intersection for the definitive implementation of the plan. The reality on paper suddenly appeared to be different from the actual reality.

During the holiday period, we therefore sought cooperation with the Hofkwartier residents’ association and the Toussaintkade residents’ collective. They too had made many separate attempts to tweak the municipal redevelopment plan for the Prinsessewal, but their efforts were also in vain.

What went wrong?

The biggest annoyance for residents and entrepreneurs is the lack of parking spaces. In the current plan, all parking spaces along the quay of the Prinsessewal are disappearing. That is almost half of the total number of spaces in that street. It remains unclear why this is necessary. Vague promises of compensation never materialised. Things went from bad to worse during the council meeting on 22 May 2025, when mistakes were made by the Municipal Executive that were the last straw for us.

In 2022, a motion was passed for echelon parking (where the parking space is at an angle to the road) and a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h at the Prinsessewal. At the time, this motion was welcomed by the then Municipal Executive. The only condition was that the Royal Family would agree to one-way traffic, which has since happened. Nevertheless, the current alderman claimed in 2025 that ‘there had never been any question of echelon parking’. That is not true, and the Municipal Council had therefore been misinformed.

In addition, the alderman failed to point out the connection with another motion in the same meeting on 22 May 2025: the bicycle-safe redevelopment of the Anna Paulownastraat. There, too, many parking spaces are disappearing. The expectation is that the Prinsessewal is going to serve as partial compensation. However, this is at odds with the decision to reduce the parking capacity at the Prinsessewal.

Why can the parking spaces not be missed?

The parking spaces at the Prinsessewal are important and must be preserved for the following reasons:

1. The Prinsestraat is being made car-free and all parking spaces in that street are disappearing. No compensation is being offered to residents and entrepreneurs. This is increasing the parking space pressure at the Prinsessewal.
2. The underground car park beneath the Noordwal / Veenkade has a waiting list and is unsuitable for electric cars. The Prinsessewal is the logical alternative location.
3. Due to the densification of the neighbourhood, parking pressure remains structurally high. The Prinsessewal, together with the area around Plein 1813, is crucial as a night-time alternative location.
4. In the municipal plan for a bicycle-safe Anna Paulownastraat, half of the parking spaces is disappearing. That is why the capacity at the Prinsessewal must remain intact.

What did we do?

Since only the Municipal Council can enforce changes, we sent all parties an initiative proposal and invited them to a consultation. That consultation took place on 2 September and was attended by Hart voor Den Haag, VVD and GroenLinks.

During that consultation, it became clear to the councillors that something had gone seriously wrong here and that a better plan was needed, one that took the future cycle-safe solution at the Anna Paulownastraat into account.

We then summarised our proposal in a letter to the Living Environment Committee, assuming that adjustments to the plan would still be made.

What needs to change?

As joint residents’ organisations, we advocate the following amendments to the plan:

• Parking spaces – Preserve at least 100% of the current parking capacity at the Prinsessewal, with echelon parking as a solution.
• Balanced layout – Combine traffic, green space and accommodation in a way that is inviting and does justice to the unique location on the waterfront.
• Good safe bicycle connection – Provide a wide two-way cycle path connecting to the Prinsestraat and the future improvements in the Anna Paulownastraat.
• Preserve the left turn onto the Eland Street – This prevents traffic from being diverted via the Kortenearkade and nuisance in the Bilderdijkstraat due to the nearby coffee shop.

The figure outlines our alternative development plan with plenty of space for cyclists and pedestrians. There is less space for cars without compromising parking capacity.

Finally, we would like to see a postponement of the irreversible works at the Hogewal and the Piet Heinplein. This will prevent the waste of public funds and avoid double disruption due to road works.

Moving forward together

We believe in a green, liveable city with more space for cyclists and pedestrians. But that requires transparency, public participation and careful governance. Together with other residents’ organisations, we remain committed to this goal.