Various political parties in Eindhoven have wishes for the development of the former Philips head office and the land around it. The city council recently announced the zoning plan, which states that hundreds of homes must be added to the site on Boschdijk.
In addition to the housing of the main building, called the VB (Vredeoord-B) building, there should also be housing in the surrounding area. In addition to student housing, the VB tower should also contain apartments for various groups. In total, there should be a maximum of 647 homes.
At the ground floor of the monumental building, there can be space for commercial activities or office space. Around it, there should be two groups of 4- or 5-storey housing that offer space for a maximum of 862 homes.
Student housing
D66 (democrats), GroenLinks (green left party) and Volt would prefer to see a different situation. In a motion, the fractions call on the municipal council to ensure that the homes that are to be built there are ‘furnished as student rooms as much as possible’. The fractions do not mention specific requirements in terms of numbers or percentages.
In addition, the fractions also want the student housing that is to be built there to be focused on establishing social contacts and therefore have shared facilities. After all, studios cause social isolation and loneliness among students, it is said. Moreover, there are already enough studios in Eindhoven, the parties believe.
Monument surcharge
Volt also wants to continue to focus on the affordability of the homes. Because the VB building is a monument, a surcharge of 35 per cent can be added to the rent, which means that homes that are now officially mid-range rent will end up in the expensive price category. The fraction wants to stipulate that this monument surcharge of 35 per cent should not affect the affordability of the homes.
Peregrine falcon
Finally, Partij voor de Dieren (party for the animals) has a completely different proposal. According to the municipal council fraction, the top of VB building is very suitable to provide space for the peregrine falcon. For this purpose – also on the advice of Trefpunt Groen (meeting point green)– peregrine falcon nesting boxes should be placed on the roof of the monument.
Peregrine falcons are said to be regularly observed in the area; if a nesting box for this bird species is placed with a webcam, this would also contribute to the connection with nature of the city’s residents.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
