Bentinckspark is a sports park in the heart of Hoogeveen. In order to stimulate top level sports and recreational sports, in 2007 the municipality made a decision to redevelop a large site of 27 hectares, in which the various clubs would be given a new place, with modern sports facilities and accommodations. The combination of sports, an area for a park and the adjacent educational facilities make the project unique. Since 2007, MTD landschapsarchitecten has been involved in the drawing up of a Schedule of Requirements for the urban development and an image quality plan, which defines a strategic framework for detailed elaboration and implementation. In a subsequent participatory planning process, the development plans and technical design for the various subareas are being made, and a portion of the park is being implemented. The objective is to realize the new sustainable Bentinckspark in its entirety by 2019. 

the design
Bentinckspark will be a modern and vibrant sports park, situated in a sustainable green housing environment. A sustainable park comes about by coherently envisaging the buildings as well as the green environment; added value comes about by linking up water systems and energy, amongst other things. Within the park there is space for organised and unorganised sports. A framework of (existing) avenues with trees enclose the park, and divides it into different rooms. Within these rooms there are clubs for athletics, hockey, korfball, beach volleyball and football, and their fields are embedded in park-like surroundings with a natural character. Through the strategic positioning of the various sports clubs, the heart of the park is created as a city park along the historical Bentincksdijk. Bentincksdijk will be restored to all its glory through the realisation of waterways on both sides. The city park acts as a gateway to the various sports facilities. Aside from offering organised sports, the city park also lends itself for indulging in unorganised sports, and for simply being there and enjoying the great ‘outdoors’. Located here are a multi-functional activities centre, a sporting route, a beach, an events field, an amphitheatre and play woods. The park makes reference in its size, scale and robust character to the landscape of Drente, with green fields and scattered trees, hedgerows and tree-lined avenues. Aside from offering an alternating image, the variety of hedges, abundant reed embankments and multi-trunked shrubs also offer added ecological value. Bentinckspark creates good spatial limiting conditions for practicing sports, now and in the future. Here everyone can relax in a pleasant environment, where they can experience an array of (sports)activities around them.