Student housing on campus sports fields? Criticism is swelling

Student accommodation on the so-called Kruithuisweg sports cluster is possible. This is the conclusion of the spatial urban planning study commissioned by the municipality and the TU. Municipal politicians have many comments on this. The sports associations affected by the plans have started a petition. More on this later.

Four locations

First the exploratory study itself. It concludes that there would be room for 1500 to 2500 student homes on the sports fields, spread over four locations. Two of them belong to the municipality and are used by citizen sports clubs. These are Hudito (hockey), Fortuna (korfball), DAS Delft (basketball) and tennis hall Koos Heiligers.

The other land belongs to TU Delft. On one side are the tennis courts, on the other side the rugby fields. The latter are used by three student rugby clubs: Thor, SVRC (a sub-association of Virgiel) and DSRC (a sub-association of DSC). Student frisbee association Force Elektro has also been training at this location for many years.

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Dissatisfaction

The exploratory study is far from being a building plan. It does, however, give an idea of what the student housing could look like: blocks closed to the outside to keep out ambient noise, with several floors and towers on different corners.

The exact number of homes depends on the further urban development. All parties involved can provide input, the municipality promises. But there is already a lot of dissatisfaction about the lack of contribution.

Petition

In a committee meeting on 6 May, almost all political parties criticised the communication about the plans. Some felt that they were presented with a fait accompli. They also expressed the concerns of the sports clubs involved. They need more space rather than less, fear complaints from their future neighbours about light pollution and noise, and do not feel heard by the municipality.

It is not for nothing that those clubs started a petition on 14 May , which has already been signed more than 2000 times. Prior to the Municipal Council meeting on 22 May, the clubs demand that the exploration be taken off the table and that they be heard from the start in new plans.

Preserve space

Student rugby association Thor was not involved in drafting the petition, but does support it. This is what Chris de Man, member of the Nieuwe Haven committee, tells Delta. This committee was initially only concerned with a new place for Thor’s sailing clubhouse. (see the text box below)

“The exploration was an unwelcome surprise for us,” says De Man. He thinks this is because there has been no opportunity to participate, neither through the municipality nor through X (TU Delft’s sports and cultural centre). “With that, the municipality has committed a gigantic blunder and put itself 1-0 behind. ”

Different surface

De Man, like the citizen sports clubs, felt forced to speak at the committee meeting of 6 May. His message? “Engage all stakeholders in a thorough process ánd ensure that student rugby clubs retain their space.”

Thor, SVRC and DSRC now have 2.2 fields available, says De Man: one training field and a larger competition field. In the exploration, that number is reduced to 1.5 fields. That should be compensated with a different surface: artificial grass instead of ordinary grass. After all, that can always be played on. De Man: “Even then, 1.5 is very tight. In addition, sports are moving away from artificial grass.”

Other locations

For Thor, it is a complicated issue, says De Man, because students know better than anyone how important new student housing is. “But why does it have to be here? I don’t see in the exploration that other locations were considered. Construction is taking place everywhere in Delft and all those people will soon have to play sports somewhere.”