The Henri van Abbe Stichting (foundation) and Stichting Bescherming Wederopbouwerfgoed Eindhoven (SBWE, reconstruction heritage protection foundation) are not impressed with the municipality’s new building plans for Stadhuisplein. With the plans, the college is putting quantity over quality, according to the foundation.
At the end of 2022, the Municipality of Eindhoven revealed its plans for the town square close to the city hall. The plans call for the construction of some 1,200 homes around the square. These houses must also be affordable. According to the Henri van Abbe Stichting and SBWE, the plans are not in line with the framework established by the city council.
Because the college is fully committed to adding as much housing as possible around Stadhuisplein, a number of high towers must be built surrounding the square. According to the Van Abbe Stichting and SBWE, these towers will not make the city centre any more beautiful or pleasant.
Stratumseind
Stratumseind, for example, would suffer greatly from the residential towers to be built. According to the framework for the redevelopment of Stadhuisplein, there should be a sloping building height from Wal towards Stratumseind. The entertainment street, will otherwise be “overwhelmed”, the foundations fear.
Catharinakerk
The residential towers to the east of the square, should therefore be much lower than is now laid down in the plans. Building towers of 50, 70 and 100 metres high there is “incomprehensible”, according to the heritage watchdogs. Another pain point is, that the Catharinakerk with the current layout, is no longer visible from the square.
The towers also threaten to form a kind of wall around Stadhuisplein while the square is meant to be inviting. In addition, the foundations fear that Begijnhof will become a narrow street, twice as narrow as it is now, where the wind blows hard and the sun never shines.
SBWE and the Van Abbe Stichting hope the city council will sound the alarm with the college about the points mentioned. The redevelopment of Stadhuisplein must be completed by 2035.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
