Holland Outlet Mall cancelled after developer steps out of project

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Sep 11, 2017

The plans for the Holland Outlet Mall Zoetermeer, scheduled to open in 2019, have been cancelled after project developer, Provast, stepped away from the project, reported regional broadcaster Omroep West.

Holland Outlet Mall intended to take over a 31,000 m2 space in Zoetermeer, which currently houses furniture megastore, Woonhart. Zoetermeer is located in the middle of the country, between the Hague and Utrecht. The centre was supposed to be a high-end fashion mall, targeted to attract 5 million visitors a year, and to cost 120 million euros, a first of its kind in the Dutch inner-city area.

Local residents and retailers have resisted the project since it was announced a few years back, greenlit by the city council in January of this year. Both fear that the outlet center is at the expense of existing shopping destinations. Moreover, they were afraid of traffic congestions and parking problems. The city council nevertheless has supported plans for the Holland Outlet Mall because of the employment opportunities it could bring to Zoetermeer. Provast cites the uncertainty caused by the disagreements between the city council, residents and retailers as one of the reasons it pulled back from the project.

Earlier this week the project was halted. The initiators, consisting of Beleggingsmaatschappij Woonhart and developer Provast, announced they wanted a period of deliberation in order to review the proposal again. On the evening of 11 September, the city council cancelled the plans for the Holland Outlet Mall for good.