A former military base transformed into an urban district in Katwijk (Netherlands) by KCAP

This summer, the municipal council approved the zoning plan for the new Katwijk district designed by KCAP. This Dutch coastal town of 14,000 inhabitants will be able to take in 13,000 new residents. The first homes will be delivered in 2024.

A former military airfield earmarked for urban development

Launched in 2018, the project aims to convert the former Valkenburg naval air base into a new district. Opened in 1939, the airfield has been closed since 2006.

Having approved the masterplan in 2020, the council has now validated the zoning plan for the first phase, entrusted to KCAP. This first phase covers the Lime neighbourhood, in the north of the site, alongside the expressway.

How do you double the size of a village?

The urban planning challenge is immense: by the end of the project, which aims to build 5,600 homes, the town of 14,000 inhabitants is expected to reach 27,000.

Jeroen Dirckx, partner at KCAP, says: “Developing a new village is a special and complex task. The design has to be flexible enough to allow for change over time, so it is better not to create a binding plan but rather a framework of broad outlines. At the same time, we need to build more than just a physical space: we need to build a community”.

KCAP has delivered two documents. The first is a framework plan that defines the phases of the project. The second is a quality book, which sets out the expectations for public spaces, intermediate spaces and the construction of the buildings. These are the two documents that have now been approved.

First neighbourhood due in 2024

Naturally, the developer BDP will not build the scheme all at once. It is divided into phases, meaning that the neighbourhoods will be built one by one. Lime will be built first, with 700 homes from 2024.

In addition, KCAP's urban planners have provided plots of all sizes, including some for self-build, in order to create architectural diversity and avoid the “new estate” feel.

For this first phase of works, the programme includes a strong share of social housing and owner-occupied homes. From an environmental point of view, the neighbourhood is to be self-sufficient.