The restoration of wharf cellars is on schedule: 18 cellars have been repaired, 12 cellars are now being renovated and 22 restoration plans are ready. Cellar owners know where to find the subsidy scheme for cellar repair: approximately € 3.4 million in subsidies has been paid out. This means that the shipyard area remains safe and this special heritage is preserved for future generations. This is reported by the municipality of Utrecht.
In addition, a total of almost 3.3 kilometers of embankment wall has been restored, with the embankment wall between the Viebrug and Jansbrug and between the Stadhuisbrug and Bezembrug being as new again. The Site Area Progress Report provides insight into the progress of work on rampart walls, vault walls and cellars.
Repair walls and yards
Over the past 1.5 years, a total of 158 meters of the Oudegracht’s embankment wall has been restored. A total of approximately 500 meters of wall and wharf still need to be repaired. Later this year, work on the embankment wall will continue on the west side of the Oudegracht: between the Jacobibrug-Viebrug and between the Bakkerbrug-Bezembrug. A large part of the vault walls in the wharf area (Kromme Nieuwegracht, Drift, Plompetorengracht) will also be tackled in the coming years. The vault wall at Kromme Nieuwegracht 56 is the first to be repaired and is now being restored together with the vault cellars behind it.
35 cellars per year
Every year we work on the restoration of 35 cellars. The repair work is variable and not visible to the outside world: in some places a wharf cellar is opened up from street level for work, sometimes the work mainly takes place inside the wharf cellar. The work is clearly visible on Haverstraat and at the Stadhuisbrug.
Estimate adjusted over 30 years
Based on current experiences and insights, the estimate of the total costs of the shipyard area program for 30 years has been adjusted from €500 million (2021 indication) to €412 million (with a possible deviation of +/- 10%). The difference between the two estimates is mainly due to the lower costs for repairing cellars. Fewer cellars are found in very poor condition than expected in 2021. The municipality expects that it will have to repair approximately 50 fewer cellars than expected over the entire 30-year period.
Investigations into duty of care and neighborly duty
The municipality has conducted research among owners and users of cellars into the way in which it fulfills its duty of care and duty of care to neighbors in the restoration and maintenance of the wharf area. This shows that cellar owners are generally positive about the contact, cooperation and support from the municipality in the repair of cellars. People who have contacted the municipality and the wharves manager about the management and use of the wharf area or with questions about the restoration of the wharves and ramparts are also generally satisfied with the municipality’s approachability. There are also areas for improvement. For example, the researchers note that cellar owners experience the commissioning of the restoration of their own cellar as complex.
