Nieuwe Gracht 143

A supermarket less than 3 minutes' walk away, neighbours who lend out their deep fryer for New Year's so we could make oliebollen (if they got some too) and a really pleasant atmosphere in the neighbourhood. It's very central and close to everything in Delft. I never feel like I have to be careful with my belongings here, or that someone might break in, lots of children playing in the street and a parking garage for permit holders a 1-minute walk away.

I think it's a nice neighbourhood. Occasionally inconvenient with the rubbish system and taking the glass away, not a huge amount of green, and sometimes difficult to see streets coming from the right so you don't get priority from others.

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With 20 years of experience in this neighbourhood, living comfort very much depends on the neighbours, in my case mainly the upstairs neighbours (and the neighbours at the front, the square). The house is very noisy and is poorly maintained by the WB, in this case Stedelink (formerly Vestia). The building construction is poor, including the wooden floor (= my ceiling) which can cause a lot of nuisance. It's an art to explain this properly to your new neighbours because the WB doesn't mention it and doesn't want to do anything about it. The houses from the 1930s mostly don't have double glazing, poor locks and are poorly insulated. For Vesteplein numbers 26 and 30, there is an additional defect if you want to use the shed. The gate at the front was removed long ago (at the spot where the U-stal bicycle shed is now), meaning residents have to walk around to the gate on Gasthuislaan. The rental advertisement says you have a shed, but it's not very practical. Most new residents therefore don't use it. The neighbourhood (at the front) is very noisy, partly due to all the activities: restaurant, café, theatre, U-stal bicycle shed, cinema, "open" and the supply of people and goods and (unannounced) events. When I first moved in, none of this was there; it was built up over the years. If you are sensitive to light and flickering images, it is not advisable to live here (opposite the theatre). Theatre De Veste has many lights (and many windows), a light sign and flickering TV screens on the outside that can be very bright and significantly affect your (night's rest). This also wasn't there at the beginning; the "advertising" increased over time. If you plan to live here, come and have a look during a busy day/evening or during an event. You can then also see how busy it can be outside your door and how many bicycles are parked in front of the door (despite the bicycle shed on the corner) and how much nuisance that causes. It is possible that your home is difficult to enter due to the thick row of bicycles in front of the door. The U-stal bicycle shed also plays a major role in living comfort, as there are employees who do not (want to) take the living environment into account (noise and smoke nuisance) and the nuisance can continue until the middle of the night (closing time of the shed). What also happens regularly, especially at weekends, is drunken passers-by or people hanging around on the square. People sitting on the window frame or staying close to the houses or in the corner where the U-stal bicycle shed is, even in the middle of the night. This can sometimes be perceived as threatening or unsafe. Very striking are the new high rents; significant rents are being charged for new residents. This does not rhyme at all with the overdue maintenance of many homes and facilities such as balconies, sheds, roofs and gutters, drainage, facades, paving, trees, etc. Across the back, new tenants pay, for example, 1375 euros per month. Accessibility is fine as long as you don't come by car. Vesteplein is car-free and parking is only possible in the (underground) car park. Loading and unloading is only allowed under certain conditions. External facilities are also fine; everything you need is nearby within walking distance. Three supermarkets, a chemist, bookshop, clothing stores and various other shops such as Hema, snack bar, cinema, theatre, cafés, restaurants, etc. The neighbourhood is generally clean, can be very quiet but often also extremely busy. Especially the noise, you have to be able to handle that because the houses generally don't have double glazing and constructions that can shield you from it. If you think, because it's already so noisy and loud anyway, that you can party until the middle of the night and cause other disturbances, then please don't come and live here! What the neighbourhood needs is peace and quiet, especially at night. The neighbourhood is already lively enough.

no negative experiences

My neighbourhood is a pleasant, accessible environment. There are many amenities nearby and the shops are easily reachable. However, there is often litter on the street and we have occasionally had mice in the neighbourhood as a result. Placing more bins could possibly prevent this. However, there are very few houses available and everything is unaffordable. Housing could therefore be better.

I think it's a fine neighbourhood, except that I sometimes feel unsafe when I cycle late in the evening. Other than that, I never really have trouble with people. The neighbourhood could be a bit greener in my opinion, but well, it's mostly flats and they're not that pretty.

Good atmosphere, nice people