Leidsch Dagblad
p. 13 (Leiden & Region section)
Tuesday, 13 February 2001
[translation by Jeremy Bangs, with editorial comments at the end]No Mega Movie Theater or Albert Heijn Supermarket; V&D [department store] stays in present location.
LEIDEN CUTS BACK AALMARKT PROJECT Leiden pulls back from building a Mega Movie Theater in the Aalmarkt Area, Albert Heijn doesn't want a supermaket there, and V&D is staying put. That is the last interim position in the plan-making for the city center. Alderman Hillebrand (spatial organization [i.e. urban planning]) announces that Leiden is treading water with its high ambitions for the fragile city center. The mayor and aldermen want to try to save more monumental properties in the area and at the same time choose for a reduced construction volume. That means also that the project will be more expensive. Leiden. Robbert Minkhorst Hillebrand says, "If it becomes smaller in scale, and simultaneously more monuments are saved and restored, the chance is great that we'll end up with a serious deficit. I have good hope that we'll have the whole picture on the table around March. Spatially considered, more and more is falling into place, - we just still have to have a financial calculation."The alderman is already convinced that there is a financial hole: because the construction volume will be limited, less money can be earned. Up til now the city has set 15 million guilders aside for the project. The Aalmarkt Area Foundation, which represents the interests of the residents and hopes to prevent major destructive cutting into the city center, has never seen much in the Mega Movie Theater. Mayor and Aldermen now consider it "too much space-use,"although the film theater would still be a "little one"compared with other Mega Movie Theaters. According to the alderman, Äll in all, that would really be a very heavy burden on the area. We want to meet the wishes of the neighborhood."First choice for a new cinema in the city is now the station area. Another possibility is the Lammermarkt. The LVC entertainment center may get a new location on the Boommarkt, behind the present post office. The present building [i.e. St. Catherine's Hospital wing from 1571] then would belong to the Municipal Auditorium, which has to expand. Moving the Student Society "Minerva" is for the moment unnecessary. Hillebrand says, "Moving would automatically mean demolition. Nonetheless, it is a building with character. It's been agreed with Minerva, that they''ll now look into whether they'll allow a public function in their building." Department store V&D will most probably also remain at the present location. Hillebrand calls moving to the other side of the Mandenmakerssteeg a "very big intervention." V&D was "already tending towards that line"says the alderman. Probably the department store would then lose its Breestraat entrance. - and also the space behind it for the present leather wares and periodicals. V&D says it can get along with less space. That means that the building "The Gilded Turk"could perhaps be restored to its former glory. The department store gets a new entrance on the Weigh-house Square. Further, the Mayor and Aldermen want to appoint an Aalmarkt Area project leader, in consultation with project developer MAB and interest groups. He has to guard the basic standpoints that the city has established, and would be closely involved in the recruitment, selection and direction of architects. The town council still has to decide whether they want to continue with partner MAB. Hillebrand: "Formally we are free to attract other investors and developers. We have, however, always said that we have the intention to end up with MAB. MAB has a good reputation in this area of work."The project developer from The Hague has done and is doing comparable projects in Haarlem, Groningen, and Breada. In Alphen aan den Rijn, MAB has designed a complete new town heart [city center] in collaboration with the city government. The Aalmarkt Area Foundation greets some of the modifications with joy, they write in their most recent newsletter. Among other things, keeping the post office, moving the LVC, and dropping the idea of a Mega Movie Theater get their support. Demolishing the Aalmarkt school is still completely unacceptable. They also take the position that it ïs impossible to run an expensive underground parking garage."The Mayor and Aldermen consider the construction of the Bommmarkt Garage a necessity. [EDITORIAL COMMENTS] This is encouraging, but it remains vague and inconclusive. If V&D stays put, there is no justification for tearing down the St. Catherine's Hospital. But the report is uncertain about whether the LVC entertainment center will move out of that building, and consequently the future of that building is left vague. Alderman Hillebrand's statement that reducing the amount of volume to be constructed will result in less profit points out that the profit the town is expecting is calculated as lease and tax income per area of floor-space. Only by tearing down historic buildings can cost-efficient multi-story buildings be built with a maximum of lease and tax income derived from increased floor-space. By drawing up plans for a maximum of modern construction, the town has arrived at a hypothetical predicted income amount which is the comparison base against which preservation and restoration of existing buildings are said to lead to a deficit. So the present buildings anywhere in the historic center of Leiden can all be said to result in a deficit for the city in comparison with what the town could be collecting if all monuments were swept away for new construction. Besides that, there's less profit for contractors if buildings aren't torn down. Alderman Hillebrand wants a committee of 2 people from the MAB project developers, 2 from the city government, and 1 to represent the preservationist groups. This committee would then select a project supervisor. Perhaps this would turn out to be the present Aalmarkt Project Manager, Mr. Reinout van Gulick, who has distinguished himself by the quality of his correspondence about the Vrouwekerk. Alderman Hillebrand rejected the proposal that the National Architecture Supervisor (a government official at the national level) should be asked to be part of the committee. All the preservationist groups refused to participate in this sham, and the single independent critic who was invited also refused. Despite Alderman Hillebrand's remarks about the city's intention to end up with MAB, European Union law requires competitive bidding for projects of this size. His response to a reminder of that from a member of the city council in session was to say, "That's not the way we''re used to doing things in Leiden.