The residents’ initiative STOK has been working with the municipality since 2021 on an action plan to address student-related disturbances in the neighbourhood. Together, they organised meetings and consultation hours for residents and students. STOK also contributed ideas for various measures, including the so-called traffic light system for problematic student houses and stricter rules for room rental permits.
STOK played a valuable role, says district manager Joeri Viergever of the municipality of Rotterdam. “STOK raised the profile of the issues in Kralingen through powerful lobby at the city level. They did this through constructive talks with aldermen and within the city council.”
Launched during the pandemic
The organisation was founded in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, when student nuisance in Kralingen reached a boiling point. “We started to experience problems with student houses around 2018”, says STOK chair Arthur ten Have. The number of students had been growing rapidly for several years, but student housing construction failed to keep pace. “Private investors and parents bought up properties in Kralingen and converted them into student houses, putting pressure on the neighbourhood’s liveability.”
Residents joined forces and established STOK. With over eighty volunteers, divided into working groups, the foundation focused on issues such as room rental permits, communication and nuisance reduction.
A natural end point
In 2022, the action plan was in jeopardy when the municipality considered relaxing the rules for room rentals. STOK opposed this move: they wrote letters and lobbied political parties. The proposed relaxation was eventually mostly reversed. As a result, Kralingen-West and Kralingen-Oost remain under a so-called zero quota, meaning no new room rental permits can be issued there.
“That felt like a natural end point for us”, says Ten Have. “The threat of policy relaxation had been averted, nuisance in the neighbourhood has slightly decreased, and as a board we were at our limit. We also have jobs and other obligations.”
Finding a new board proved difficult. “This work takes a lot of time, and few people are willing to commit to that.” The foundation will cease operations, but a residents’ working group will continue. “There are still court cases ongoing concerning room rental permits. There’s a network of active residents, and the WhatsApp groups will stay active. If something flares up again, residents can respond quickly”, he says.
What now?
With STOK gone, the responsibility shifts back to the municipality, says Ten Have. Viergever states that the municipality will continue with the policies already in place. “Together with the Kralingen district council and the Kralingen-Oost residents’ association, the municipality will keep actively involving residents”, Viergever said. “This ensures continued community involvement.”
