'Yes' wins in referendum in Arnhem

On November 30, 2016, Arnhem went to the polls for a referendum on Stadsblok-Meinerswijk. There had been plans for years to renovate that area on the southern bank of the Rhine. During the planning process, a group of Arnhem citizens stood up and spoke out in return for parts of the plan. The criticism was that the wishes of the citizens involved had not been sufficiently taken into account.

An important interested party in this discussion was KondorWessels Projecten (KWP). As the owner of a large part of the area in question, she quickly became the focus of the discussion. Although KWP had not drawn up the development plan, it supported it and was prepared to implement it in consultation with other stakeholders. This caused the concerned citizens to speak out not only against the municipality, but also against the intentions of KWP. Faced with a referendum and protests from citizens, KWP called in the Issuemakers for advice on the communication and lobbying process towards the referendum. The resulting campaign was a success: on November 30, a large majority of Arnhem residents voted 'yes' in the referendum and therefore for the plan.

The Issuemakers is proud of this result. In times when the anti-vote often seems to have the upper hand in referenda, a winning campaign has been set up together with KWP and Arnhemmers. Congratulations Arnhem! On to the largest Floodplain Park in Europe!

Would you also like advice about this? environmental communication, municipal lobby or referenda problems? Please contact De Issuemakers:  or +31 (0)20 3455088.