Contract heralds redevelopment of entrance area for Leiden Bio Science Park
The MORE project covers the development of the new entrance area for the Leiden Bio Science Park. Partners Leiden University, the Municipality of Leiden and the Amstelveen-based development agency Yisheng signed the agreement on 18 March, marking the official start of the project.
‘Yisheng Development's design is an attractive plan spatially and architecturally, with a clear focus on sustainability and health,' commented Martijn Ridderbos, Vice-President of the Executive Board. 'The development means an enormous quality boost for the whole park, making the area both more lively and more diverse. The plan provides for 1,100 new houses and a broad range of facilities, with the priority on places where people can come together.'
MORE project
Ridderbos signed the official agreement for the development of the entrance area together with Paul Dirkse, Leiden alderman for Knowledge, Education, Sport and Finance, and Mr Zhang from Yisheng Development. The implementation of the plan is set out in the MORE project. The signing of the contract marks the start of the first phase, and the construction work is expected to start in 2021.
Creating a community on campus
One of the key aims of the project is to create a community of students, residents and companies on the campus. Alderman Paul Dirkse: ‘Clustering high-quality education, research, healthcare and businesses will make our knowledge city more attractive for students, researchers and entrepreneurs from throughout the world. The park will become a much livelier place on working days. That's what the MORE project is going to achieve.'
Leiden University and the municipality had already drawn up a masterplan for the further development of the Leiden Bio Science Park in 2012. The MORE project is part of this masterplan. The idea is for the entrance area to merge with the campus square that Leiden University envisages. The second phase of the Gorlaeus Building for the Science Faculty is also being worked on, along with the demolition of the old laboratories and the construction of a new sports centre. Parking garages will be built on both sides of the entrance area.