TOWN RENEWAL
TOWARDS 2005

The new plan for Holland's Gaard

STORM WATER - AN ASSET

Landskrona is situated within an agricultural and densely populated district of western Scania. The city itself was long dominated by heavy industry but now is experiencing a period of transition. 
Landskrona's town centre is characterised by its proximity to the sea. The promenade along the coast, many parks and natural areas allows its inhabitants to enjoy the sea and greenery. Even so, access to nature is often limited, especially in the smaller communities. Agricultural land frequently starts where buildings end, and people must walk or exercise along tarmac roads. In fact, in the countryside of western Scania and its small communities, access to nature may be a limited resource. 
The municipality has made plans on how to protect and strengthen existing possibilities. The rivers Saxan and Braan -two watercourses that ate mainly flowing through agricultural land -are valuable landscape features, but heavily burdened by agricultural runoff and to some extent by storm water from roads and built-up areas. Through our planning process, towards improving water quality and conservation values of these rivers -extensive implementation programmes have been established. These programmes involve constructing wetlands, buffer strips and footpaths along the rivers. They also aim at favouring rare and threatened species and improving the values of "trivial" natural areas. 
Thanks to government subsidies, Landskrona is now implementing these programmes. Wetlands are being constructed in order to decrease the load of nutrients from agricultural land to the rivers and sea. Existing valuable elements are protected and new ones created. Special thought is given to threatened species. An important part of the project concerns ecologically beneficial treatment of storm water. Some 20 storm water treatment dams are being planned along the rivers. Apart from their cleansing effect, these dams turn storm water into an asset to landscape, wildlife and have a levelling effect on water flow, especially important during summer when water levels may be very low. 
All the above measures will reduce the load of pollutants to rivers and sea, aid nature conservation along the river, and give the inhabitants of Landskrona scenic areas to dwell in.

During the last 4 years the City Council in NykObing F. has developed sketches to the town renewal plan for a central city area. The history of the central city area called Holland's Gaard goes back to medieval times. The quarter around Holland's Gaard had been a pulsing part of the city by being the locality for the monastery and the church, the merchant's houses and markets. In the sixties a new town plan made tremendous changes to the functional city's structure. The central bus station was removed from Holland's Gaard and the route of regional traffic was led to a new ring road. Coincidentally new industrial areas were developed at the outskirts of the city. The quarter around Holland's Gaard was in the waves of rapid changes facing a new role 
On the one hand the Holland's Gaard and its surroundings has remained, as far as retail trade is concerned, as a well functioning part of the city centre with many modern shops and pedestrian streets. On the other hand a massive group of the previous industrial buildings are still out of function and fallen into disrepair. Moreover almost every open space in the quarter is used for parking, the environment is poor, a significant percentage of the flats have considerable bad hygienic facilities and there is almost no access to open space.In the beginning of the nineties the city participated in a demonstration

project organised by the Ministry of Housing. As a result of the demonstration project a group of key citizens were asked to sketch out a proposal for a renewal plan in Holland's Gaard. In 1998 NykObing F. obtained a grant from the government. A board, which represented residents, owners, business, cultural institutions, member of the City Council, officials and consultants, was set up to work out a specific program and students made models to show how Holland's Gaard could look like. Coincidentally with the process for the comprehensive renewal plan a proposal for the renovation of the dilapidated housing area is going to be worked out as an important part of it. The comprehensive renewal plan which was approved by the Ministry of Townrenewal and Housing in January with a budget of 9.5 million DKK means great changes to the quarter as it is going to be rebuilt into a new city area with an entertainment square connected by a blue waterline and sculptures on pedestrian areas and open air spaces. The project will be completed in 2005 and then Holland' Gaard will be a very attractive part of the city.