New school building and new sports hall at Van Doornenplantsoen
The municipality of Zoetermeer is building a new school building for the MOTION Beweeg College and a new municipal sports hall at Van Doornenplantsoen.
MOTION Move College
The current MOTION Beweeg College building at Van Doornenplantsoen 1 is outdated and far too spacious for the number of pupils. The new school will be designed for a maximum of 550 pupils and complies with the Program of Requirements 'Fresh Schools 2021'. This establishes good and appropriate educational quality in a fun, healthy, inspiring and sustainable environment. In a Fresh School, attention is paid to the themes: energy, air quality, temperature, light and sound.
See the approved council proposal for the new MOTION Move College building here .
Sports Hall
In addition to the new school building, there will also be a new sports hall. The sports hall will be multifunctional and will be used during the day by the schools and in the evenings and weekends by the sports clubs, including korfball club Phoenix. A number of common areas will be shared with the MOTION Beweeg College, such as the entrance, locker rooms and toilets. This cooperation will allow the sports hall to be put to good use.
See the approved council proposal for the new sports hall building here .
Design phase
The final design is ready. We are now continuing to work on the technical design, which includes solutions for grid congestion.
Grid congestion
Recently, the project faced an unexpected challenge: grid congestion in South Holland. This means that there is currently insufficient power on the electricity grid to build new wholesale connections. As a result, the newly built school and sports hall cannot be directly connected to the power grid.
Over the past period we have been investigating how to connect the new MOTION Move College building and the sports hall to the grid. We are now using a combination of electricity and gas as a solution.
Construction phase 1 - completed
In the summer of 2025, construction phase 1 will be completed by installing sheet piling and retaining walls and carrying out pile driving work.
Information about Construction Phase 1 (completed)
On June 24, 2025, the board of mayor and aldermen decided to start phase 1 of construction, in anticipation of the resolution of the objection that is still pending. This decision was made because of the great social importance of the project: the realization of a new school and sports facility. This is possible because the rules allow room to start in advance in such situations. By carrying out the work partly before and during the summer vacations, noise pollution for the schools and the neighborhood will be reduced as much as possible.
There was little time between the college's decision and the start of the work. Therefore, it was not feasible to organize an information meeting. We informed local residents in other ways: through a residents' letter, a list of frequently asked questions (Q&A) and some walk-in moments on site.
To allow construction traffic to take the turn at the Vaartdreef/Slootdreef intersection during both construction phase 1 and construction phase 2, the center island has been temporarily modified. The surrounding area has been informed of this through a residents' letter.
Once construction of Phase 2 is complete, the center island will be returned to its original state.
On Aug. 15, 2025, local residents were informed via a residents' letter about the walkout of the piling operations.
The reason is that the installation of the sheet piling and retaining wall has taken longer and the preparatory work for the pile driving is taking more time than planned.
Construction Phase 2
During the week of February 16, 2026, contractor Binx began groundwork for the new school and sports hall. The piles had already been driven in 2025. Prior to the start of construction, an information fair was held on Thursday, February 5, 2026. Local residents and other stakeholders were invited to attend.
Status Update: October 2026
Construction is now in full swing. Following the groundwork, the foundations of the buildings have been laid. The contractor is currently working on erecting the walls and floors of the school and sports hall. The buildings are expected to reach their highest point in mid-November 2026.
Continuation of the work
In the coming period, work will continue on the exterior walls and roofs. Systems for heating, ventilation, and electricity, among other things, will also be installed. This will be followed by the final finishing touches on the buildings and the interior design. The design of the grounds surrounding the school and sports hall will also be further developed. The various components will be coordinated with the progress of construction. This will ensure that work on the grounds can begin on time and is expected to be completed around the time of project delivery.
Planning and Commissioning
The plan is for the contractor to complete the school and sports hall by July 1, 2027, at the latest. After that, the school will have a few more months to furnish the new building and get it ready for use. The goal is to open the new school at the start of the 2027–2028 school year.
Vision Zoetermeer 2040
This project aligns with Zoetermeer 2040, an initiative in which residents are involved in changes to their neighborhood from the very beginning. The new school and sports center provide a safe, healthy, and inspiring environment where children can develop their talents and everyone can continue to learn and stay active. Want to learn more about the Zoetermeer 2040 Vision? Read more: Zoetermeer Municipality’s Environmental Vision | Local Laws and Regulations
Planning
- Elaboration of technical design: September - December 2025
- Elaboration of implementation design: December 2025 - March 2026
- Start of construction phase 2: February 2026
- Building completion: July 2027
- School opening/start of school year: beginning of school year 2027/2028
Permits
Environmental Permit
The environmental permit for this project was granted in mid-April 2025. This is an important milestone that brings the project closer to construction of the new school building and sports hall. An objection was received within the objection period. This objection was declared inadmissible. The objector filed a lawsuit against this. The judge has since ruled. It is still possible to appeal this ruling.
Zoning plan
The school and sports hall will be built on the grassy field opposite the existing school. A new zoning plan has been drawn up for this purpose. On Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, the council proposal for the adoption of the zoning plan for the new Van Doornenplantsoen building was adopted, changing the zoning.
- 20231102 Publicatie vaststelling bestemmingsplan Nieuwbouw Van Doornenplantsoen en besluit Hogere waarden geluid.pdf
- 20230525 Draft Van Doornenplantsoen zoning plan (nl.imro_0637.bp00114-0002).pdf
- 20230522 New construction Van Doornenplantsoen - rules.pdf
- 20230522 New construction Van Doornenplantsoen - notes.pdf
- 20230522 New construction Van Doornenplantsoen - attachments to notes.pdf
- 20230323 Notification of intention to draft zoning plan, mer assessment decision, consultation.pdf
Enlargement of sports hall
Larger sports hall for more opportunities
During the design process, the "Quality Standards for Indoor Sports Facilities Korfball" were modified and further explained. As a result, the dimensions of the playing field, including free range, were revised.
By enlarging the sports hall by about 400m2, we are making it suitable for more sports and ensuring that it meets the official rules of the Royal Dutch Korfball Association (KNKV). The expansion also provides several improvements in the surrounding areas:
- Spacious locker rooms that are better laid out and more user-friendly.
- Two locker rooms for teachers instead of one.
- Enlarged apparatus storage, providing more storage space and more options for use of the hall and sports classes.
- A built-in trampoline.
- An additional changing area for the disabled (MIVA).
- A separate first aid room.
- Additional (rentable) accommodation space of 80m2.
- A spacious entrance overlooking the hall.
- An elevator with access to the elevated schoolyard.
The council unanimously approved the enlargement of the sports hall on Sept. 16, 2024.
Road diversion (completed)
To enable the construction of the school building and gymnasium, a partial detour of traffic is required. This work will take place during the summer vacation, during the period from July 15 to August 23, 2024.
Local residents were informed of this through a residents' letter.
Participation meetings
Meetings were held on November 9, 2022, May 24, 2023, and February 5, 2026. The invitations, presentations, and reports can be found below.
- Report on the MOTION information meeting on the Sports College and Sports Hall, February 5, 2026.pdf
- Presentation information market Van Doornenplantsoen - BINX February 5, 2026.pdf
- Report participation meeting Van Doornenplantsoen 24 May 2023.pdf
- 20230524 Presentation - Participation meeting May 24, 2023 Van Doornenplantsoen.pdf
- 20230428 Invitation to information meeting Van Doornenplantsoen May 24, 2023.pdf
- 20221207 Report information meeting Van Doornenplantsoen Nov. 9, 2022.pdf
- Presentation De Twee Snoeken information evening Van Doornenplantsoen Nov. 9, 2022.pdf
- Presentation municipality Zoetermeer information evening Van Doornenplantsoen November 9, 2022.pdf
- Presentation MEES information evening Van Doornenplantsoen Nov. 9, 2022.pdf
- Presentation MOTION Move College information evening Van Doornenplantsoen Nov. 9, 2022.pdf
- 20221018 Invitation to information meeting Van Doornenplantsoen on Nov. 9, 2022.pdf