The history of the Lutkemeerpolder

The Lutkemeer was a small lake that was drained in 1864-1865. The marine clay turned out to be excellent for agricultural use. Five farms were built in the Lutkemeerpolder. Two of them are now a municipal monument.

The Lutkemeer (approx. 202 hectares) was used for arable farming for a century but from the 1970’s, building activities such as the construction of a funeral center and sludge fields started in this area. In 2002, 100 hectares of the land became designated for commercial use in a new zoning plan. The implementation of the first phase of that plan, in the southeast of the Lutkemeer, is now almost complete. The City of Amsterdam now wants to realise the second phase (Northwest of the polder). According to its plans, only 29 hectares of the 202 hectares of land will remain available for agriculture.

6 reasons to not build in the Lutkemeerpolder

Fertile soil:

The soil that Amsterdam is built on and also that of its surrounding area mainly consists of peat. This soil type is too wet and too acidic for arable farming. The area southwest of Amsterdam where the Lutkemeerpolder is situated, was flooded several times and therefore has a marine clay soil. The light marine clay is able to retain minerals well and does not dry out, even during the increasingly frequent periods without rain. So why build a logistics business park on the last fertile soil available in the city?

Not suitable as a logistics hub:

City logistics is an important issue for Amsterdam. The demand for logistics is increasing, while the available space is decreasing. The municipality will therefore soon come up with a Logistics Hub Vision, which designates suitable locations for hubs, based on a list of criteria. The Lutkemeerpolder however does not meet the most important criteria such as good access from the highway for the supply of goods, good accessibility to and from the delivery area in the city and minimal impact on the environment in terms of traffic, noise and environmental nuisance.

Climate adaptation:

Flooding and water storage

The Lutkemeer is situated 4,5 to 5 meters below NAP. The chance of flooding in this area is greater than almost anywhere else within the municipal borders, which doesn’t make sense to build a logistics business park here. Also in case of flooding, the polder can retain and store large amounts of water and therefore contribute to the climate safety of the entire city. The municipal plans to build the city’s largest buildings here are therefore in conflict with climate adaptation principles.

Heat Island effect

The Urban Heat Island effect is the phenomenon that the temperature in the city is on average higher than in the surrounding landscape. This heat stress is a growing problem, especially for sensitive population groups such as babies, children and the elderly.

In Amsterdam, the Lutkemeerpolder is today the coolest location in the city after the Amsterdamse Bos. It provides coolness to the residential neighbourhoods in its vicinity such as Osdorp. This neighbourhood is situated far from the IJmeer (a bordering lake), and is therefore one of the neighbourhoods most affected by heat stress. In the summer of 2019, it was 4 to 10 degrees Celsius warmer in Osdorp than in IJburg (a residential neighbourhood next to the IJmeer). By turning the Lutkemeerpolder into a logistics business park, the heat stress in neighbourhoods such as Osdorp will undoubtedly be aggravated.

Growing need for green in the city:

With a growing population, the city’s need for accessible, usable and enjoyable greenery also increases. This is especially true for families and lower income households. Research shows that they are highly dependent on green areas within walking or cycling distance, close to home.

Habitat for birds:

The polder is an important habitat for several rare birds, including the Whinchat (Dutch: Paapje). This is a bird species that is on the red list of endangered species. The whinchat is a breeding bird that lives in herb-rich, open grasslands and builds a usually well-hidden nest on the ground.

Food Park Amsterdam’s vision and plan

Food Park Amsterdam (FPA) believes that this area has a much greater and still largely underestimated ecological and societal value for the city and wider surroundings. The food transition and challenges related to biodiversity and climate change require a new perspective and a renewed appreciation for the natural capital that is already available in our immediate vicinity.

It is estimated that the value of the ecosystem services in the Lutkemeerpolder is already between 1.5 and 8.6 million euros per year, with the potential to increase this value in the future. By developing the Lutkemeerpolder into an agro-ecological landscape park, the healthy and fertile soil of the Lutkemeerpolder can contribute to solving several of the urban challenges that we face today.

The vision is to have the local community manage the land through a cooperation. Food Park Amsterdam will become a place where healthy and affordable food is produced and made available through Community Supported Agriculture by local entrepreneurs for the local community. The food will be produced by using regenerative agricultural practices, stimulating a healthy soil and biodiversity. The area will become a living lab for experimentation and innovation in food production and regenerative agriculture. This vision also fits in seamlessly with the ambition of the city of Amsterdam to have 25% of our food sourced locally in 10 years from now.

From plan to implementation

To implement this plan and realise Food Park Amsterdam, the municipality needs to change the commercial use designation in the zoning plan to agricultural use. The revision procedure of the zoning plan was planned for this year (2023) but is postponed to Spring 2024. The postponement is due to a new study that has been initiated to map out the impact of the increase in freight traffic in the scenario that the area is developed into a warehouse distribution center.

Last September, it was agreed that Food Park Amsterdam and the Municipality of Amsterdam will each appoint 6 experts to analyse the plans for the Lutkemeerpolder. These 12 experts are expected to meet in Spring 2024 to discuss their findings and conclusions. A report with their conclusions will then be shared with the municipal council.

Also, the foundation for Preservation of the Lutkemeerpolder (Stichting behoud Lutkemeerpolder) requested a change of the zoning plan in 2020. After many detours, the court has now decided to have the case heard by a multi-judge panel early 2024.

In the meantime, the battle continues and appeal has been filed against the building permits of several companies.

Check out the website of Food Park Amsterdam here, if you want to follow the developments (subscribe to their newsletter) or start supporting the initiative.

Sources:

• Voedselpark Amsterdam

• Bodemplan Lutkemeerpolder