Municipalities and companies in the Eindhoven region have put down a new wish list from The Hague. They want to claim investment funds in order to take the facilities in the region to a higher level.
The many tens of millions of euros should be spent on, among other things, the development of De Wielewaal city park, a new skate park and better libraries.
This is evident from a letter from the Metropool Region Eindhoven (MRE), on behalf of all 21 municipalities in the high-tech Brainport region. In total, an amount of 95 million euros is needed for all investments. The region is asking the national government for a contribution of 34 million euros, writes Jeroen Dijsselbloem, chairman of the MRE. The province will probably also contribute.
Nature and libraries
With the money, De Wielewaal should take shape as a city park for everyone. Earlier, the municipality of Eindhoven bought the estate from a wealthy textile merchant. A budget must also be provided for eight libraries in the Eindhoven region, which will continue to work together to improve the reading skills of residents, among other things. In addition, the region wants to put money into a better connection of the Eindhoven Genneper Parks with the Groot Heide nature reserve in Leende. This would further enhance the accessibility of this nature area. The MRE would also like to see investment funds land in the development of Landgoed Gulbergen, between Eindhoven, Geldrop-Mierlo and Nuenen. The plans for this were presented earlier this year.
Skatepark and new hotspot of Eindhoven
But the wish list is bigger. For example, the ‘urban sports facilities’ in the region should be strengthened. Skate hall Area51 at Strijp-S has already been tackled earlier. If it is up to the regional municipalities, a new mobile skate facility will be added, as well as a skate hall in Helmond. In addition, Eindhoven must get a ‘new hotspot’. What exactly is meant by this is not clear. However, Dijsselbloem writes that this will be ‘a new anchor point in the city with a programme that connects new residents and residents who have lived there for some time’.
Better museums
The idea is that investments should also be made in the smaller municipalities around Eindhoven. For example, the Kempenmuseum in Eersel should be raised to a higher level, just like the Kunsthal in Helmond. De Berkenschutse in Heeze, a specialised education centre for special and secondary special education, also needs a substantial investment now that the Brainport region is growing.
Region Deals
The application from regional municipalities and the business community to the Ministry of the Interior is part of the so-called Region Deals. The level of facilities in various regions must be strengthened with money from various regions and the national government. Brainport has been lobbying The Hague for years to invest more, because the high-tech region of Eindhoven is growing rapidly due to the success of many technological companies. A total of 700 million euros can be distributed in this Region Deal round. The ministry will assess all applications next month.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
