Rozenburg, Rotterdam

I'm sorry we've become like Rotterdam and they throw everything together from 25 to 85, I don't think that's good, neighbours are terrible, dirty, everyone treats each other like crap, very sad, housing association does nothing, makes mistake after mistake

I don't think much of my neighbourhood because the housing association just throws people in here. Rozenburg used to be a village and I regret that it no longer is. Now we are sub-municipalities and every shop is being converted into houses for Poles or other sorts. Our village is going to the dogs.

It's a nice neighbourhood to live in. Many friendly people. Unfortunately, there is a small group that makes the village unsafe, think drug dealing/use and harassing passers-by in the evening, especially near Raadhuisplein. Furthermore, there are plenty of shops in the area. In terms of facilities, I only miss something for the youth. For example, a cinema or somewhere you can go bowling or something. Otherwise, a nice village.

Safety is something that many villagers really miss. There is often nuisance from the youth who hang around the village all day until late at night. They often come across as intimidating, which scares people. The youth who hang out there are also known for being involved in shop thefts and fights. But luckily, you still have your own neighbours. They give you a sense of safety. There is always a neighbour who stays up late, watching TV late at night and occasionally looking outside to see if everything is okay. And of course, the daily patrol by the neighbourhood police officer also helps with the feeling of safety. Furthermore, Rozenburg offers a lot of community. From gatherings organised for the youth to gatherings organised by the youth for the elderly. Everyone contributes to the social life of Rozenburg. Hygiene has deteriorated. It is noticeable that there is much more litter on the streets than a few years ago. Fortunately, we have a group in Rozenburg that does a round of the village every week to clean it up as best as possible. How wonderful that they want to keep the village clean in their free time and also give the garbage collectors a helping hand! Housing is a disaster. The original villagers can hardly rent or buy a house anymore. Previously, Rozenburgers had priority for housing. Nowadays, Rotterdam dumps all its families in Rozenburg, so there are no houses left for Rozenburgers and they are forced to leave the village. SUCH A SHAME!!! This needs to change. Education, on the other hand, is very extensive for a small village like Rozenburg. Rozenburg has 4 primary schools, including 2 Protestant Christian schools, 1 Roman Catholic school, and a public primary school. And Rozenburg also has its own secondary school, where you can currently complete the full programmes for MAVO and HAVO, and the first 3 years of VWO. Green spaces are, in my opinion, poorly maintained. It often takes a long time before the municipality does something about the greenery. It is not always kept tidy. And when something is done, there are 6 men with a hoe working on 1 square metre. That doesn't get you anywhere, does it. Well, the facilities for a small village are fine. We have 3 competing supermarkets. In addition, many other small shops. There are restaurants and a library. We have a large public playground, a petting zoo, a riding school, and allotment gardens. Furthermore, there is some diversity. We have a late-night shop, a Polish shop, foreign restaurants. There is a large sports complex with a swimming pool. There is a football club. In summary, there is plenty to do. Accessibility is somewhat poor. We have the connection to the A15 or we cross the water and end up in Maassluis. Often, there is something wrong on one of the two sides, causing either the entire ferry from Rozenburg to Maassluis to be full and work overtime, or the entire A15 to be jammed. Always a drama.

Living in the village means everyone knows each other. Some from the past, others from work, and still others from the weekly meeting at the library. The neighbourhood is enterprising, trying to keep people together as much as possible so that no one feels alone. Whether it's a gathering for the elderly with a nice cup of coffee and games on the table, or a week-long event being set up for months during the summer holidays especially for the children. Rozenburg is always busy expressing cohesion and love. Unfortunately, the green spaces have been severely neglected in recent years by the municipality of Rotterdam. Trees are cut down without any sign of disease. Grass and shrubs are forgotten, so they only grow taller, bigger and wider, causing inconvenience. But luckily Rozenburg has its own action group that goes out every week to clean up all the rubbish from the streets. And there are also the dear Rozenburgers who use their free time to maintain the allotments. Where everyone can and may plant their own fruits and vegetables or flowers. Furthermore, Rozenburg offers a wide selection of education. In the village there are 4 primary schools, including 2 Protestant Christian, 1 Roman Catholic and 1 public school. The schools that also carry the faith are no longer very strict about it. But they do consider it important that the faith is recognised and that the children learn something from it. Furthermore, Rozenburg has 1 secondary school, Penta Rozenburg. Here you can complete the full 4 years of MAVO. Recently, Penta has expanded and now the full 5 years of HAVO are also available. And the first 3 years of VWO are available. Furthermore, Rozenburg has good connections to nearby villages and cities, so choosing another secondary school is also easy. Then about housing. That is a complete disaster. Since Rozenburg became a submunicipality of Rotterdam, houses are hard to come by. Our Rozenburgers no longer get priority for houses. Nowadays you see a nice little house for rent, you want to respond, but before you can even do that, the house is already taken. And this by a family from Rotterdam. This makes it increasingly difficult for Rozenburgers to get a house, so most decide to look further and leave their home village. And to go into that a bit further. Most families that come from Rotterdam bring so many problems with them. I would describe it as loitering youth and chavs. There has honestly never been so much police needed in the village since Rotterdam dumps its families here. It's even so bad that two years ago at New Year's, the riot police patrolled the village. That no longer gives you a safe feeling. Overall, Rozenburg is really a top neighbourhood. People always look out for the residents. Too bad the municipality of Rotterdam neglects this beautiful and cosy village.