Tree felling and planting at Kapel & Convict

The arrival of the Conservatorium means that we are redesigning the area around Kapel & Convict. We will be adding bicycle parking spaces for Conservatorium students and staff, and there will be terraces on the northern and southern side of the buildings. This development means that we need to cut down 15 trees. The trees are in moderate to poor condition, meaning that their future prospects are limited. We investigated whether they would survive replanting, but this is impossible because the roots have attached themselves around the various cables and pipes in the ground.

Environmental Services have granted two environmental permits for the tree felling; one for five trees and one for ten. These permits are available to be consulted and can be viewed digitally at Environmental Services (Omgevingsdienst) until 23 December 2020. A permit application will also be submitted for the replanting of four trees. These will be immediately replanted at a definitive location within the project area. To replace the total of 15 trees being felled at Kapel & Convict, 26 new trees will be planted in the same area.

The arrival of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam is not the only change happening here. New homes will also be built in this part of Zuidas, known as Beethoven, that runs from Kapel & Convict to the Stibbe and AkzoNobel buildings and the St. Nicolaas Lyceum. On plot 6/7, shown on the map below, developer Breevast will begin construction on around 300 homes in mid-2022. The definitive design for this residential construction is expected to be ready by the end of 2021 and more information will follow. A plan still needs to be drawn up for plot two. The idea is for 150 homes to be built here.

In addition to the plans for construction, we are also investing a lot of time carefully compiling a new, attractive and sustainable landscaping plan for the public area around Kapel & Convict and the apartment buildings. We expect to be inviting residents and other stakeholders to share their ideas about the plan in the first half of 2021.