Auteur: AIVP
Source: Port of Rotterdam
Date de parution: Mardi, 19 Decembre 2006
Type de Document: Actualité
Thème: 3.03 - stratégie locale de développement portuai, 6.03 - ville portuaire et contexte régional, 3.06 - domanialité et enjeux fonciers
Langue originale: Anglais
Localisation: Europe : Pays Bas : Rotterdam
Langue: Français, Anglais, Espagnol

La ville et le port de Rotterdam ont décidé de renouveler et de prolonger leur coopération, formalisée en 2004 au travers de la Development Corporation CityPorts. Les projets communs portent spécifiquement sur les zones d'interface entre les deux entités urbaine et portuaire. L'approbation définitive des nouveaux accords est en cours entre les organes de décision représentant la ville et le port.

The aim remains the same, but responsibility shifts from the Rotterdam to the municipality and the Port Authority. Agreement has also been reached on the times at which certain areas will be transferred to the municipality.
CityPorts Rotterdam was set up three years ago to intensify the economic function of the area and to set in motion urban development at specific locations. To this end, the development corporation looked at what was to be done with the RDM site and, in 2005, drafted a plan for the city ports area as a whole. This revealed that the various sub-areas all had their own distinctive character, development opportunities and implementation periods. At the same time, the municipality realised that more inner city sites were needed for new housing and it turned out that the increase in container throughput was substantially higher than anticipated, particularly in the short sea sector. It therefore became clear that a larger section of the city ports area would retain its port function for longer than was estimated some three years ago.
These insights were translated into in the city plan ‘Gateway to Europe’. Every area now has its own development route:
- Waalhaven and Eemhaven: intensification of short sea, modernisation of port functions and attracting port-related knowledge and services
- Merwehaven and Vierhavens: transformation from port area to urban area with housing and residential-friendly businesses
- RDM site: industrial heritage, education and knowledge economy, energy and creative economy, (light) maritime and general cargo businesses
- Rijnhaven and Maashaven: intensification of urban area with housing, businesses and attractive facilities.
This produces a clear picture of what needs to be done in the city ports area per sub-area and per phase. But the Port Authority and municipality see CityPorts as an integral project. As such, the concept is much more than just the sum of its parts. Themes such as accessibility, safety, the environment and combined functions demand a coordinated approach. The Port Authority and municipality have made agreements on this. ”Now that we have a clearer idea of what needs to be done in terms of development and phasing, the project can move into a new phase”, according to Mayor Opstelten. “The Port Authority and municipality are working together and will continue on the chosen, successful path.”
The Port Authority and municipality have made concrete agreements on the moments at which various parts of the city ports area will be handed over to the city for redevelopment. In 2007, the Rijnhaven will be transferred to the city, as will several sites on the southern side of the Maashaven. On the northern banks, sub-areas in the Merwehaven and Vierhavens will be handed over to the city in different phases, starting in the medium term. The Waalhaven and the Eemhaven, including the RDM site, will remain primarily port areas, in the long term too, and as such in the hands of the Port Authority.
With the transfer from the Port Authority to the municipality, existing, contractual agreements between the Port Authority and the companies operating from the area will naturally be taken over by the municipality, in as far as they extend beyond the agreed dates.
CityPorts Rotterdam was founded precisely three years ago, with the aim of charting the opportunities and possibilities of the city ports area. The municipality and the Port Authority both own 50% of shares in the development corporation. Right from the start, the goal was to achieve economic renewal and direct transformation processes, also to other functions. After these three years, in which CityPorts Rotterdam has done a lot of (pioneering) work, the municipality and Port Authority have reached the conclusion that, due to the great diversity in objectives and time schedules for the development and use of the extensive area, it would be better if these operations were not carried out by one specific development corporation, but more logical if they were to be performed in-house. Naturally, cooperation between the Port Authority and the municipality, particularly the Rotterdam Development Corporation (OBR), remains crucial to the successful continued development of the area.
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