The aim of the project is to create a recreational navigation course along what used to be dilapidated and heavily polluted waterways, which had served industry in the past. Re-establishing the canal will also make it easier for empty and dilapidated industrial buildings to find a new function.

The 2 km canal runs through the development area of Belvedère, where 4000 homes will be built and 150,000 m2 office space will be created. The positive image created by the waterway and the harbour as a tourist attraction are very important for the investment climate. The local community is actively participating in the project. The revival of the district is reducing the nuisance caused by drugs tourism, while the dredging work has cleared up a large part of the pollution.

The various monuments, a unique flora and the renovated canal connection between Maastricht and Vlaanderen are already attracting many tourists one year after opening. In 2003, around 200,000 day tourists visited the harbour in Maastricht. There were 4000 overnight boats stays. About a quarter of them also took the canal route. Around ten companies have already established themselves in the 24 empty boatyard basements, with the creation of around 35 jobs.

European subsidy: € 1.044.829
Total cost: € 2.089.658

This project has been partially funded with Objective 2 funds. Since 2000 nine cities have been eligible for the Objective 2 Urban Areas in the Netherlands programme, which forms part of the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD) of the European Union. EFRD is one of the four Structural Funds of the European Commission. The programme helps cities to carry out projects that benefit disadvantaged areas.

In the Netherlands, total European Objective 2 subsidies concern 192 million euros. 4.25% of the Dutch population lives in the selected areas.

The European Commission prescribes that for every euro from the EFRD, a minimum of one euro must be contributed from the government. The cities must therefore add their own public or private funding to the European subsidy. The European programme is linked to the urban plans agreed within the context of the urban policy of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. For this, the cities can make use of funds that have been allocated to them in the context of the national urban policy.

Maastricht Noord - local programme management
Phone: +31 43 3504784

19/12/2000

case

Urban Policy > Urban environment

Cultural heritage