Molenstraat e.o.

Previous coverage of the redesign.

Responding to resident questions Preliminary Design

Responses to residents' questions can be found in the document Overview of Responses including Answers to Questions Preliminary Design - February 2023. These are responses to questions raised by residents during the residents' evenings on December 6 and 8, 2022.

Trees to be cut from mid-August 2023 at the earliest

The municipality wants to avoid disturbing nesting birds and habitats of bats when cutting trees. Several responses from residents have also revealed that they would prefer to live in a "bare" street for as short a time as possible because of the felling of several trees. Therefore, a decision has been made to start felling from mid-August 2023 at the earliest. By then, the ongoing bat research (in some trees) will also be fully completed.

Talks are currently taking place with various cable operators. Once these discussions have been completed, a final determination can be made as to which trees can and cannot be replaced. The aim is to replant as many trees as possible, as indicated on the previously published preliminary design. The design can also be found in the documents at the bottom of this page.

Trees with suitable sites for bats not yet felled

Recently, residents of Molenstraat and surrounding streets were able to view the preliminary design for their street during a residents' evening. This indicated which trees would and would not be cut down. See previous posts on this subject including attachments at the bottom of this page.

Autumn 2022 and mid-December 2022, a field survey was conducted for bat roosts. This showed that several places were found scattered in different streets where bats occur. They make use of cavities in trees, for example. All bats in the Netherlands are protected species under the Nature Conservation Act. Therefore, first the trees in which no bat habitat has been found will be cut down. This means that probably not all trees can be felled at the same time*. After completion of the full bat survey in 2023, it will be considered how to continue the project from then on.

* Information about the felling and, if possible, replacement of the trees is described in the earlier posts.

Preliminary Design Molenstraat and surrounding streets

On Tuesday evening December 6 and Thursday evening December 8, 2022, the preliminary design of Molenstraat and surrounding streets was explained. On these evenings, residents were able to view the preliminary design and ask questions to employees of BWZ Ingenieurs and the municipality of Zoetermeer. (BWZ Ingenieurs was asked by the municipality to create the design for the Molenstraat e.o. and to handle communication with residents). With the information gathered at these evenings, BWZ Ingenieurs can now get to work on the final design. This will be presented in 2023. For residents and interested parties who were unable to attend on December 6 and 8, the preliminary design is available at the bottom of this page. Because the preliminary design is now on paper, this means that no more major changes to the design are possible. For questions or a request for a minor change, please send an email to: BWZ Engineers, mail: participatiezoetermeer@bwz-ingenieurs.nl.

Residents' meetings December 2022

Residents from Molenstraat and surrounding streets have been invited to view preliminary designs for their streets. For detailed information, see the letters attached at the bottom of this page. Residents of Jan Hoorn Street, Cornelis van Eerden Street, 5 May Street, Van Brakel Street or John McCormick Street are invited to Tuesday, December 6, 2022 7:00-21:00 pm. Location: Parochial Center De Kapelaan - Nicolaasplein 2 - 2712 AV Zoetermeer. Two days later, on Thursday, December 8, residents from Molenstraat are invited at the same time and location.

Responding to resident questions

Responses to the residents' questions can be found in the attachment"Overview of Responses including Answered Questions, September 2022. These are responses to questions raised by residents during the residents' evenings on July 5 and 7.

Choice of sketch design, variant 1 or 2?

For a number of streets, residents could choose from 2 variants. One in which hardly anything would change from the current situation and one in which the parking spaces would be slightly elevated.

At Molenstraat , there was a clear majority in favor of maintaining the current parking arrangement. This is about Variant 1.

For the remaining streets with a choice option (5 Mei Street, Jan Hoorn Street and Cornelis van Eerden Street), variant 2 was chosen, in which the parking spaces will be slightly elevated relative to the street.

The majority vote in determining the variant was considered. On all streets, there was a clear majority for one of the two variants.

Now what is the next step?

BWZ Ingenieurs will now start work on the preliminary design for the municipality of Zoetermeer. This will be based on the choice of alternative 1 or 2 mentioned above. The design will now be made for the entire street and not for some parts as in the sketch design. This preliminary design will also indicate which trees can and cannot remain in the new situation. In addition, it will be made visible where entrances will come (or stay), the location of street lighting, gullies and much more. The aim is to send out invitations for the next residents' meeting at the end of November. Here you can see the preliminary design of your street and have the opportunity to ask questions.

Which trees are going away?

The preliminary design (late November 2022) will show which trees we plan to leave standing and which can be removed. This is a proposal, so not yet final. Only after the residents' evening, after the reactions have been processed, will the final choice be made. The municipality will then submit an application for an environmental permit to cut down the trees.

Review of two residents' evenings redesign Molenstraat and surrounding streets

Residents from the Molenstraat and surrounding streets were able to view sketch designs about the redesign of their streets on July 5 and 7, 2022. During the 2 residents' evenings, staff from BWZ engineers and the municipality along with a tree specialist explained the sketch designs. 

Two variants

For Molenstraat, Jan Hoornstraat, Cornelis van Eerdenstraat and 5-Meistraat, two variants have been developed from which residents can choose. During the residents' evenings, residents could express their preference for one of the variants, ask questions and pass on suggestions. 

Molenstraat

In the first variant of the Molenstraat , there are hardly any changes from the current situation. The speed bumps do look different and the paving will be restored. The worst trees will be removed and, if possible, replaced.

The second variation of the Molenstraat changes a little more. Here there will be slightly raised parking spaces that are at the same height as the sidewalk. In the Molenstraat , this variant opted for parking on one side of the road again instead of on both sides. 

Responding no longer possible

Are you curious what the two proposed variants look like? You can find the sketch designs at the bottom of this page (Sketch designs Molenstraat and surrounding streets - July 2022). Comments could be made on the sketch designs until August 5, 2022.

Attachments

The documents at the bottom of this page include responses from the 80 completed surveys (Poster outcome survey - July 2022). This survey was available for residents to complete at the end of 2021. The questions and wishes from the survey were taken into account as much as possible in the preparation of the sketch designs. In the Poster timeline (Poster timeline - July 2022) you can read how the process will proceed. 

Follow-up (tree) inspections December 2021 and schedule

In August 2021, all trees were inspected again. An opinion was then written by the outside firm Dendrologic, which has conducted these inspections for the past several years. This advice was shared with engineering firm BWZ, which was commissioned by the municipality as of November 2021 to create a design for the Molenstraat and surrounding streets. BWZ has since circulated a survey to residents to learn more about residents' wishes. In addition to trees, this includes paving, parking, public lighting and so on.

Preliminary design

These wishes will guide the preliminary design they will create. This preliminary design will be presented to residents and the municipality. In addition, the intention is to arrive at a final design. Preparatory work behind the scenes and in the street is expected to take place in 2022. The preliminary aim is to carry out the reconstruction of the streets in 2023.

Communication on this project will be primarily through engineering firm BWZ starting in November 2021. Residents have since received contact information from them in a resident letter.

What happens to the trees now?

As indicated, the advice received by the municipality from the agency Dendrologic that did the inspections is leading. This means that over the next two winters ('21-'22 and '22-'23), it will be necessary to candelabrate* or cut down some of the trees. These will be trees that are in very poor condition and/or where the risk of branches breaking out becomes too great. A decision will be made about the remaining trees as a result of the design that is still to be made and chosen. The decision will also examine whether trees in good enough condition can be included in a new design and whether they can be retained.

More information about the trees can be found in the tree reports attached as appendices. Before felling trees, the municipality submits an application for an environmental permit. You can follow the environmental permit application at www.officielebekendmakingen.nl or via the Omgevingsalert app. Here you can read how interested parties can object to the felling of the tree, if necessary.

What has happened so far?

Sounding Board

In order to take into account as much as possible the needs and wishes of the residents of the Molenstraat, a sounding board group was formed at the end of 2018. The focus group consisted of four residents from the Molenstraat. The focus group was a think tank with a consultative role towards the municipality. Members could express their wishes and ideas for the street. They also had the role of informing other residents from the Molenstraat . In November 2021, they had the last meeting in this composition. They have made an important contribution in recent years and, together with the municipality, have thought about how and when residents could be informed. Information was shared partly through their own facebook page.

About the tree survey

As you were previously informed, an external agency (Dendrologic) has been engaged since late 2018 to conduct the tree condition survey. After that, the municipality started working with the residents to find a future perspective for the avenue that is acceptable to all parties. A number of street interviews were therefore organized to hear from residents, among other things, to what extent they were or were not in favor of preserving the current trees.

The study of the trees included: the degree of deterioration of the trees, life expectancy, risks and the possibilities for planting new trees. By repeating this survey annually since the end of 2018, a good picture of the condition of the trees and the progression of disease for each tree has now been obtained. These inspections have shown that some trees were in poor or worse condition. Some trees have therefore already been cut down in recent years. Other trees needed more intensive maintenance in recent years. Finally, there are also trees that have barely deteriorated in recent years.

Please refer to the follow-up tree survey report Molenstraat and vicinity (attached as an appendix) for the latest survey data. After the last inspection in August 2021, this opinion was issued.

About ash borer mortality

Residents received a letter in late September 2018 stating the intention to cut down 50 trees at Molenstraat due to the presence of ash borer. This letter caused a great deal of unrest among residents. The municipality should have informed and involved residents prior to the letter. The municipality has apologized to the residents about this course of events.

Ash tree mortality is also an issue in adjacent streets, namely Jan Hoornstraat and Cornelis van Eerdenstraat. This is not only about ash tree mortality but also about trees that have reached the end of their lifespan. Because these houses are being renovated, there will also be a new green plan. This will include the diseased and old trees. These residents have also been informed by letter.

*Trimming is the cutting off of all the main branches, leaving only the trunk. This has now been done on several trees at Molenstraat .