MOST BEAUTIFUL AT SKANDERBORG Skanderborg is working in a targeted way to strengthen and further develop its identity as a beautiful and active town with a flourishing retail trade. In 1999, the Municipality of Skanderborg and the citizens, societies and associations of Skanderborg joined forces and started work on an overall plan for the future development of Skanderborg town centre.

All interested parties were invited to take part in a number of working groups, and in the autumn of 2002 a plan outlining a number of visionary projects was presented. “The plan is to strengthen the town

centre in a number of ways. We want to safeguard and develop our thriving retail trade, for example through more child-friendly shops and cafés,” says Annalise Hansen, Director of the Municipality of Skanderborg.

“We must also pay more attention to the reason for many people moving here – our beautiful countryside. We could make the most of this by, for example, building a shopping and café arcade along the lake at Parkvej, by allowing houseboats to moor in Lille Sø and by turning Søtoften into a residential area. At the same time, we must not forget

that Borgergade is a very charming part of Skanderborg, which we could do something to improve – also for the benefit of the many tourists.” “And speaking of tourists, then we would also like to increase the capacity of our hotels and other types of accommodation. Skanderborg has a good image, not least because of our music festival which gets a mention in all the national Danish newspapers. We must make the most of such press.”

“However, an attractive town centre and a good retail trade are not enough on their own – we need customers as well, and that is why we are developing the residential areas at Låsbyvej and at Højvangen out towards the villages of Gram and Stilling.” In both these areas, the Municipality of Skanderborg is looking to create green residential areas with room for open spaces and woodland. The aim is to increase the number of inhabitants in the municipality from approx. 22,000 to approx. 25,000 – in harmony with nature. “The Municipality of Skanderborg is making sure that the plans are ready, making it easy for private investors to take over and implement them. And we are already seeing a number of positive trends,” says Annalise Hansen. Room for commercial developments It is, for example, a positive trend that more and more small and medium-sized businesses are relocating to the areas allocated for commercial development by the municipality. Skanderborg’s central location in relation to the E45 motorway and the railway network is, for example, clearly reflected in the development of the industrial park at Stilling, where the municipality is selling plots near Exit 51. The site thus offers businesses easy access to the motorway with the added benefit of being clearly visible to the many thousands of vehicles driving past every day. It is the declared objective of Skanderborg Town Council that the Municipality of Skanderborg should continue to be the most beautiful – both for those living and for those working here.