ROTTERDAM, 6 February 2026 – Rotterdam has met its own target to keep enough business space in the city, and the figures show a net increase rather than a decline. The municipality says it is the first Dutch city to set an explicit goal for retaining business space and then achieve it.
The target for this council term was simple: keep the total square metres of business space at least stable. Instead, the city reports a net gain of 70,657 m².
Business space stock grows since mid-2022
Rotterdam’s total business space stock is now reported at 4,335,128 m² (bvo). Since 1 July 2022, that stock has grown by 70,657 m². To help deliver the target, the municipality launched the Business space action plan (Actieplan Bedrijfsruimte). The related council document is available here:
Focus on industry and jobs in Rotterdam
Alderman Robert Simons, responsible for the economy, links the result to a deliberate choice to keep room for entrepreneurs and industry in Rotterdam. He argues that retaining business space helps keep jobs in the city and supports skilled trades for the long term.
The municipality also points to a wider argument about why bedrijventerreinen matter: it states that 40% of working people in the Netherlands have a job on a business estate, and that 30% of gross national product is earned there.
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Hunter Douglas site on Zuid cited as an example
One example highlighted is the former Hunter Douglas site (Hunter Douglas-terrein) on Rotterdam Zuid, where the city says it opted against the pattern of converting business estates into housing. In this case, redevelopment was only permitted on the condition that at least 33,000 m² of business space would be retained.
