A long period of resisting any form of intervention in the Veerpolder and Klaas Hennebroekpolder has ensured that it is now the number one bird area.
The municipality of Oegstgeest has transformed the strip of land between the railway and the canal, intersected by a high-voltage power line, into a sustainable residential area. The northern landscape compensates for the intervention. DS designed both the landscape park, the central park, and the zones beneath the high-voltage power line and along the railway. During the development, the area was often perceived as an empty space. For 11 years, DS ensured that the area was kept free from initiatives, allowing it to quietly transform into the natural environment it is today.
Design
The landscape serves as both a nature compensation area and a recreational zone. The theme for the planting and small structures is reeds. The historic polder pattern, dating back to the 16th century, has been left entirely intact. It connects seamlessly to the nearby Kagerplassen. The alder trees along the dikes erase urban edge elements, such as marinas and industrial warehouses, surrounding the polders.
The Veerpolder is a retention polder where water is temporarily stored before being returned to the residential area. To facilitate this, the ditches have been widened. The Klaas Hennebroekpolder features reed planting, where urban water is circulated and purified. The paths on the dikes are semi-paved and planted with pollarded alders. The paths through the polder are boot paths.
The wet grasslands and reed beds attract many birds throughout the year. A colony of spoonbills has made it a permanent destination.
Detail
The watermill is an artwork by Hanshan Roebers. When the water flows back to the neighborhood, it sets the enormous wheel in motion.
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