Development Vision for the Center of Voorschoten
Last modified: December 30, 2025
The Municipality of Voorschoten has developed a development vision for the town center. What exactly is a development vision? What does it include? And how will it affect you? You can read more about it on this page.
Voorschoten is changing and will continue to change. In the town center, this is already evident in the changes to the retail landscape. The rapid rise of online stores, retail chains going out of business, and the Westfield Mall of the Netherlands in Leidschendam are all having an impact on the stores in our town center. Retailers must adapt their business practices to maintain the same level of revenue.
On the other hand, there’s the consumer. Whereas consumers used to have to go downtown for certain purchases, they can now make those purchases from home. Customers don’t have to go downtown, but they can choose to do so if they want.
Vibrant village center
The population of the municipality of Voorschoten is aging. Many seniors currently live in single-family homes, and it is expected that in twenty years, these homes will be occupied by working adults and families. This will lead, for example, to an increase in the number of people working from home and greater demand for small-scale workspaces and locations for mobile work.
There aren’t enough places like this in Voorschoten right now. A vibrant village center is important for keeping this group in Voorschoten even on weekdays. A short walk from one’s home office to the center during lunch for a cup of coffee or to run a quick errand should be a pleasant and inspiring break from work.
Housing Demand
There are also seniors who want to move from a single-family home to a single-story home. There aren’t enough apartments in Voorschoten for them right now. The same goes for first-time homebuyers: they, too, are having trouble finding a home.
The housing shortage means that Voorschoten will need to build additional homes in the coming years. It therefore makes sense to focus on building for seniors and first-time homebuyers. Many seniors and first-time homebuyers find the town center an attractive place to live. The proximity to shops, restaurants, and Berkhoutpark also makes the town center the place where everything happens. The town center becomes an extension of their living room.
Function Center
All of this adds up to a shift in the role of the town center. Whereas the town center has primarily been a place for shopping up until now, in the future it will offer more opportunities for socializing, relaxing, and experiencing local character. That is what distinguishes a village center from an online store or an indoor shopping mall.
Voorschoten must become—and remain—an attractive destination, primarily for its own residents. And in the long run, this will lead to more foot traffic in the shops and larger audiences for small cultural events. It’s a virtuous cycle. Because larger audiences mean that the shopping districts will once again become more attractive to new stores, businesses, or restaurants.
Participation
We want to implement the downtown development vision as effectively as possible. That is why it is necessary to draw on the knowledge and experience of many different stakeholders. These include, for example, property owners, shop owners and business owners, organizations dedicated to protecting cultural heritage, business associations, visitors, and residents of Voorschoten. The list of stakeholders is longer than what has been mentioned here. During the development of the downtown development vision, we consulted with these parties to hear their ideas about the downtown area.
On November 13, 2024, an information evening was held at the Dorpskerk. The municipality wanted to know how downtown business owners, residents, and property owners felt about the redesign of the public space. During the event, many ideas, suggestions, and requests were shared with the municipality. These have all been documented in a report available at the bottom of this page.
The presentation given this evening can also be found at the bottom of this page. You will also find the conceptual sketch of the entire downtown area there.
Following the information session, a focus group was formed consisting of business owners and residents who operate their businesses or live on or near Treubplein. The first focus group meeting took place in January 2025, followed by a second in March and a third in April 2025. The minutes from these meetings can be found at the bottom of this page.
On July 8, there was an open house, during which the preliminary design—including 3D drawings—was presented and explained. More than 100 people attended the event.
Subsequently, starting on July 21, the draft traffic decision and the draft environmental permit were made available for public review for six weeks. During this period, anyone could submit comments. Various stakeholders took advantage of this opportunity.
Response Memorandum
On December 18, 2025, the Municipal Executive adopted the “Response to Comments on the Treubplein Redevelopment, dated December 16, 2025.” In this document, the Municipal Executive responds to all comments submitted regarding the designs made available for public review.
The Response Memorandum indicates, for each topic, whether the council accepts the opinion and also includes a justification for this decision. Based on the opinions, the council has drafted a revised proposal. This proposal is included in Appendix 2 of the Response Memorandum.
With this proposal, the municipal executive is addressing the comments that were submitted, ensuring that the intended improvement in the quality of the experience on the square and the business climate for the businesses on the square are well aligned.
You can find the Response Memorandum at the bottom of this page under "Documents," along with the accompanying attachments.
Follow-up Process
At the request of the City Council, the City Executive will meet with the Council in January 2026 to discuss the redevelopment of the square. During this meeting, the City Executive will explain the decisions made to proceed with preparations for the redevelopment based on the revised design. Further decision-making regarding the draft environmental permit, the draft traffic decision, and the revised design will take place after the City Council meeting on January 29, 2026.
Start of the Treubplein Redevelopment Project
Contrary to what was planned, construction work on the redevelopment of Treubplein will not begin in September 2025. The municipality has received comments on the draft traffic decision and the draft environmental permit. These comments will be addressed first.
3D renderings of the Treubplein redevelopment: preliminary design
Planning
Completed: November 2024
Information Session on the Redevelopment of the Village Center
Completed: January 2025
First Treubplein Focus Group
Completed: January –March 2025
Developing an aesthetic plan and preliminary design for Treubplein
Completed: March 2025
Second Treubplein Focus Group
Completed: April 2025
Third Treubplein Focus Group
Completed: April –May 2025
Preliminary Design for Treubplein
Completed: July8 , 2025
Public Information Session on the Preliminary Design for Treubplein and the Visual Quality Plan
Still to be done: September 2025 – December 2025
Completion of the Treubplein Redevelopment
Still to do: 2026
Voorstraat Redevelopment
Still to do: 2027
Redesign of Schoolstraat, Kruispuntkerk, and Dorpskerkplein
Still to do: 2028
Continuation of the Schoolstraat Redevelopment Project
Still to do: 2029
Redesign of pedestrian routes around Schoolstraat and Voorstraat, Deltaplein, and the public area surrounding City Hall
Contact
Do you have any further questions about the downtown development vision? Please email us at centrum@voorschoten.nl.
