Playground in Voorschoten

We believe it is important that all residents of Voorschoten continue to be able to play, be active, and socialize in our village in the future. That is why we have developed a new policy plan for play and activity spaces. The play and exercise areas encompass more than just the total number of playgrounds. These areas also include grassy fields, thickets, wooded areas, parks, sports facilities, and all public spaces where children can play. The new policy plan is an update to the previous plan from 2009. 

Research and Participation

First, we set out to explore the current play and activity areas. We did this quite simply by cycling around to all of them. We looked at exactly where the play areas in our village are located, who they’re designed for, and what activities are available there. Then we asked residents to share their ideas about the future of these play and activity areas, so that the plan would align with the wishes and needs of the people of Voorschoten. Everyone in Voorschoten had the opportunity to fill out an online questionnaire about how and where they play and exercise, and what their wishes are. During walks, children from various elementary schools told us and showed us how they play and what they do and don’t like. 

Finally, we explored ways to align the plan with the goals of other sectors, such as sports, climate adaptation, health, and youth. To this end, we spoke with various local stakeholders, including Voorschoten Voor Elkaar, members of the Sports Roundtable, and a number of administrators and policy advisors. The only group we’re still missing is young people between the ages of 12 and 19. Of course, we’d love to hear their opinions as well! But we’ll wait to do that until the various new locations are known and the (financial) frameworks have been established. 

New Policy Plan

We have incorporated the findings of the various studies into our vision and ambitions for the future of play and activity areas. The new policy plan describes and elaborates on this vision and these ambitions. We are focusing primarily on large, centrally located spaces for everyone where people can meet. In addition, we are looking at various smaller locations throughout the village where we will be creating spaces for play and physical activity. We are doing this in collaboration with Speelplan, an agency that specializes in the development of public spaces. Visit Voorschoten - (speelplan.nl) to learn about the various (future) projects in Voorschoten.