Green light from the Council of State for the construction of the tallest tower in the Netherlands. Construction of the Zalmhaven Tower will start soon and will be completed in 2020. The tower with a total of 260 flats will be 215 metres high,...
Rotterdam politicians already agreed last year to the arrival of the tallest residential tower in the Netherlands, which had been under discussion for just under a decade. Protesting local residents in the Scheepvaartkwartier nevertheless went to the Council of State. They fear traffic congestion and feel that the historical character of their neighbourhood will be affected. ''And then just hope that a procedural error was made,'' Lia Lugthart of the residents' association said at the time.
Before construction can actually start, planning permission must still be issued. Local residents can still appeal this. The plan is to build the complex (investment cost: 200 million euros) in three years, so that it will be ready in 2020. Besides the 215-metre residential tower, there will be two interconnected 70-metre towers. For outsiders, there will be an accessible viewing platform. In total, there will be 475 residential units.
If the plans are implemented as they stand, the new tower will be Rotterdam's highest point by far. Only the Euromast comes somewhat close at 185 metres, the same height as the Zalmhaven Tower's 'skybar' and viewing platform. All the towers on Wilhelminapier, for example, are at least 50 metres smaller than the new 'giant'. The Maastoren (almost 165 metres), New Orleans (160 metres) and Montevideo (over 150 metres) all fail to reach 200 metres.
And it probably won't stop at this one tower. Efforts are under way to alleviate the tightness in Rotterdam's housing market. Among other things, a laundry list of building projects can provide solace, often involving height. But although a height of 150 metres has long since ceased to be exceptional, none of the plans come close to the Zalmhaven Tower in terms of height.
Source: Het Algemeen Dagblad