Spar and SSH accommodate residents of Utrecht Science Park

In recent years, the liveability of Utrecht Science Park has been a hot topic. The area is rather desolate, especially in the evening. In 2024, the municipal council discussed the issue after media reports that USP has an above-average number of residents struggling with mental health issues.

"Those conclusions were based on a study by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) just after the coronavirus pandemic, which showed that many students felt lonely. Students are the only ones living at Utrecht Science Park, so it makes sense that the average in this neighbourhood was much higher than in other neighbourhoods, where people of all ages live," explains Jan Henk van der Velden. He is the director of the Utrecht Science Park Foundation, which oversees the facilities in the area on behalf of the university, the university of applied sciences, the University Medical Centre and the businesses.

Van der Velden admits that quality of life is an issue for residents. Students have been complaining about the lack of an actual supermarket for years. The only grocery store on campus, Spar, is too small and too expensive. But there are other issues too, particularly the lack of things to do in the evenings and at weekends. ‘We have set up a student council to identify the problems and how they can be solved,’ says Van der Velden.

Together with these students, a survey was distributed among residents to see what could be improved at Utrecht Science Park. Van der Velden: ‘In general, residents rate the quality of life at Utrecht Science Park with a 6.2. We have jointly expressed our ambition to raise this to a 7.5 over the next few years.’

Supermarket is the biggest issue
Around 3,000 students live at Utrecht Science Park today. The survey was completed by 383 of them, and the results were presented on June 11. Apart from students from the residential committees, representatives from the university, the university of applied sciences, the municipal council, Spar and SSH were also present.

When asked what could be improved at USP, a supermarket was the first thing to be mentioned. Over fifty percent of respondents said they missed it. ‘I must take a bus because I can't cycle 15 minutes with a bag full of groceries,' was one of the comments.

Martijn ten Berge, manager of Spar University, was present at the presentation of the survey. He said he found it unfortunate that the supermarket had been discussed for so long, but that he was rarely asked for his opinion. According to him, it is difficult to run a profitable supermarket at Utrecht Science Park. Around 95 percent of the turnover comes from the “to-go” crowd, people who study and work at USP and come to get a snack at lunchtime. Only a small percentage of the customers live on campus, especially considering that 35 percent of the residents go to their parents' homes on weekends. ‘We would need 12,000 residents to have a profitable supermarket.’

Students also complain about the prices, but according to Ten Berge, he tries to keep them low, never more than 7 per cent above the prices at Albert Heijn. Nevertheless, he wants to accommodate the students' needs. ‘We are in the process of expanding our floor space by 100 square metres, which will allow us to expand our range and reduce the prices of some products. In addition, we are launching a pilot scheme from September to December in which we will offer residents a 20 per cent discount on all products after 6 pm and at weekends.’

Meeting place
Residents also indicated that they miss a meeting place. About half of the respondents would like to see more restaurants and meeting places on campus, so they wouldn't have to go elsewhere at weekends and in the evenings. ‘Science Park is very dull at weekends. I try to go to other places or go for walks in nature.’

The survey asked students how familiar they were with the facilities. The Olympos sports centre, the Botanical Gardens, the food trucks and the Cambridge Bar scored well. The science cafés, Minnaert café, Village and Vagant are less well known.

Next year, the new High Five student flat will accommodate an additional 1,000 students. SSH director Rob Donninger, who was also present at the presentation, said that the new building will focus on making the surroundings liveable. For example, High Five will have a catering facility with a terrace. In addition, there will be a meeting place that will also be accessible to residents of other complexes in Utrecht Science Park.

Parcel service
‘I am pleased that steps are being taken to make Utrecht Science Park more liveable,’ says Ting Ting, board member of the Boks residents' association and member of the Utrecht Science Park residents' committee. "It is clear that students want to have a supermarket nearby. But I also understand Spar's point of view, although it is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. If the prices were lower, more students would shop at Spar. What I miss is a kind of shopping centre where you can meet people. In recent years, the number of shops has only decreased, such as Primera. We could also pick up parcels there. Many students miss such a parcel service. I hear that parcels are being left on the gallery and disappearing often."