The VNO-NCW (association of Dutch enterprises and the Dutch Christian employers’ association) is happy with the large bag of money coming to the Brainport Region. “It is a sensible and courageous decision by the outgoing cabinet. This is in the national interest”, chairman Erik van Schagen, of VNO-NCW Brabant, says.
The outgoing cabinet plans to invest billions in the Eindhoven region in the coming years. The money is intended for housing, infrastructure, education and healthcare. The Hague wants to do everything it can to keep large companies such as ASML and NXP in the Netherlands. It is not yet clear exactly how much money is involved and how it will ultimately be distributed.
“We have asked for money for everything that should facilitate growth. Altogether we have asked for €7.000,000,000 to €8.000,000,000. I think it is very necessary to invest the money here. The challenge is still great, in addition to the money, to also implement the plans”, Van Schagen told Radio 1 Journaal on Tuesday.
Quality
He expects that another hundred thousand additional jobs will be created in the region in the coming years, approximately as many as the number of inhabitants of a city like Helmond. This also means that many additional houses will have to be built throughout the region. “We need to densify here, but we also need to keep the quality of life good. These additional jobs are a huge opportunity for not only this region, but for the entire country”.
But those extra vacancies also have a downside. According to Van Schagen, additional facilities are also needed. “Traffic is at a standstill, children have to go to school and people have to get care”, he sums up. “Things that you all have to make happen”. An estimated twenty primary schools and three secondary schools need to be added for the Municipality of Eindhoven alone.
Is that possible, building a complete city with all the facilities that come with it? “Those plans have been made”, Van Schagen says. “Money is one thing. Some things such as infrastructure and power supply are already very urgent. That takes time to address. Take public transport, which is still substandard, which means that people still take the car too often”.
Railway line
In any case, according to Van Schagen, we do not have to count on an extra railway track to chip machine manufacturer ASML in Veldhoven. “It’s not so much that we suddenly want to build a new railway line”, he explains. “It is mainly a matter of improving the existing infrastructure”.
Discussion
Not everyone in the region is equally enthusiastic about further congesting the Brainport Region, the business leader also knows. “There is a discussion going on as to whether we should not slow down growth”, he realises. He himself is convinced that this is not the right development.
According to him, you see that people these days want to live in an urban environment, but also want to enjoy nature. “It’s about balance”, Van Schagen says. And according to him, people who want to slow down growth underestimate what will happen if the region comes to a standstill. “We must seize these growth opportunities”, he emphasises.
He is positive about the future of companies such as ASML and NXP in the region, now that a lot of money seems to be coming to the Eindhoven region. “We have to solve it together, but the fact that The Hague is now responding makes it more likely that these companies will stay here”.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
