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The Waag, a red-brick weigh house with a steep slate roof and striped shutters, beside a canal in central Leeuwarden, with people sitting on benches on the square and a modern shopping building on the right

Netherlands

Leeuwarden

Photo: Gargarapalvin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Under a new four-party coalition since June 2026, Leeuwarden is using EU funding for energy coaches and heat networks in Leeuwarden-Oost, testing a climate-proof Wirdumerdijk for walking and cycling, and consulting residents on a safer Schrans and Sixmaplein.

Updated · Checked against official sources

  • Population

    130,634

    end of August 2026

  • Mayor

    Sybrand Buma

  • EU programmes

    6

Latest

  1. Climate and energy ·

    Leeuwarden opens Energiehuis in Bilgaard for home energy and insulation advice

    Leeuwarden opened the Energiehuis Leeuwarden on 20 October at Bilgaardpassage 56A, where residents can get advice on saving energy, insulation, home sustainability and subsidies, Wednesday to Friday from 10.00 to 16.00.

    Facts and source
    • The Energiehuis Leeuwarden opened on 20 October.
    • Residents of the municipality can ask questions there about saving energy, insulation, making their homes more sustainable and subsidies.
    • It is open Wednesday to Friday from 10.00 to 16.00 at Bilgaardpassage 56A.

    Source: Leeuwarden city hall, “Energiehuis geopend in Bilgaard”

    Read with context →

  2. Regeneration and housing ·

    Leeuwarden coalition agreement for 2026–2030 puts housing and neighbourhoods first

    On 10 June, Leeuwarden's PRO, D66, VVD and CDA group leaders presented the 2026–2030 coalition agreement 'Ruimte voor de toekomst', which prioritises liveable neighbourhoods and villages, affordable homes and equal opportunities, along with the proposed aldermen and their portfolios.

    Facts and source
    • The new coalition agreement for the municipality of Leeuwarden was presented on 10 June.
    • The proposed aldermen were presented by the group leaders of PRO, D66, VVD and CDA and were due to be installed on Wednesday 17 June.
    • The agreement prioritises liveable neighbourhoods and villages, affordable homes and equal opportunities for residents.

    Source: Leeuwarden city hall, “Coalitieakkoord: ‘Ruimte voor de toekomst’”

    Read with context →

City briefs are drafted with AI from official sources; every fact is matched automatically against the source text before publication, without an editor approving it first.

Projects we track

6 projects · 4 under way

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    ELENA: energy-efficient homes and heat networks in Leeuwarden-Oost

    With a grant from the European Investment Bank's ELENA facility, the city funds energy coaches who advise residents of Leeuwarden-Oost on insulating their homes and prepares larger projects such as neighbourhood heat networks, from January 2026 to January 2029.

    Budget about €2 million Funded by European Investment Bank (ELENA) Climate and energy

    Status checked 23 October 2026 · Source

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    Streets2030: a climate-proof Wirdumerdijk for walking and cycling

    The Wirdumerdijk is the test street for an Interreg project that designs footpaths and cycle paths able to cope with heavy rain and extreme heat, running from January 2026 to June 2029.

    Budget €560,249.86, of which €336,149.92 from Interreg NWE Funded by Interreg North West Europe Mobility

    Status checked 23 October 2026 · Source

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    Be.SHARE: heat from wastewater

    Leeuwarden learns from a Brussels system that heats and cools buildings with heat recovered from wastewater, and uses small studies to plan the same for its own buildings, from October 2025 to mid-2028.

    Budget €120,000 EU grant plus €30,000 from the city Funded by European Urban Initiative (EU) Climate and energy

    Status checked 23 October 2026 · Source

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    Future plan for the Schrans and Sixmaplein

    A development programme to make the Schrans safer and calmer, with more room for cyclists and pedestrians and less through traffic; after two rounds of consultation, the study of options was open for comments from 17 September to 28 October 2026.

    Mobility

    Status checked 23 October 2026 · Source

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    Regio Deal Noardwest-Fryslân revitalisation fund

    Leeuwarden, Harlingen, Waadhoeke, the Province of Fryslân and the Frisian water board invest together in projects for liveability, the economy and sustainability; the third and last call for applications runs from 1 October to 20 November 2026.

    Budget €40 million Funded by Regio Deal Noardwest-Fryslân (municipalities of Harlingen, Waadhoeke and Leeuwarden, Province of Fryslân, Wetterskip Fryslân) Regeneration and housing

    Status checked 23 October 2026 · Source

    1. Planned
    2. Funded
    3. Under way
    4. Completed

    More sustainable city hall: new glass roof and facades

    Work on a new glass roof and glass facades for the city hall's main hall began in September 2026, in three phases, as part of a roadmap to make the city's roughly 150 buildings more sustainable.

    Climate and energy

    Status checked 23 October 2026 · Source

EU programmes and networks

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