2025: a year of choices for Son en Breugel

2025: a year of choices and waiting for Son en Breugel
Photo credit: Studio040

Son en Breugel politics still has one year to get things done before new municipal elections are held in March 2026. Studio040 made a round of several fractions to ask what the focus will be on this year.

In 2025, Son en Breugel will mainly focus on the new city centre vision. That is what coalition parties Dorpsvisie (village vision), GroenLinks-PvdA (green left party-labour party) and opposition party D66 (democrats) think. The city centre needs to be tackled. There is too much traffic through Son en Breugel and that does not benefit the quality of life in the city centre. According to the parties, the city centre should be a place where you like to stay. The first ideas about this were presented last year.

Fast cycle path

“I recently indicated that I think it is too concrete for a vision and too meagre for a plan”, Peter van Dam of GL-PvdA says. As an example, he gives the separate fast cycle path that is mentioned in the city centre vision. “For that, the bridge over Grote Beek and the bridge over the canal need to be adjusted. Is there money for that?”, he wonders out loud.

D66 fraction leader Monique van Zwieten also has doubts about whether a fast cycle path will actually make the city centre safer. “I think a fast cycle path is quite dangerous with all those different types of electric bicycles. But I am definitely in favour of a more car-free centre”.

“We will definitely be working on this plan for the next ten to fifteen years. But the vision that is now in place provides space for projects. I think that the village will regain its old character in this way,” Remco Heeren, party leader of Dorpsvisie, says.

Painful cutbacks

However, the question arises whether there is financial room. “The money has not been abundant for years and the government is not helping at the moment either”, Van Dam (GL-PvdA) says. Alderman Steven Grevink had to implement a painful cutback of €700,000 in the social domain last year. “We will keep a close eye on how that works out next year”, the GL-PvdA party leader says. “D66 is keeping a close eye on the social domain to see if people are not the victims of this”, Van Zwieten says.

Swimming pool issue

Another hot topic that has been transferred from 2024 to 2025 is the swimming pool issue: “For us, it is not a headache. The ball is in the entrepreneur’s court”, Heeren (Dorpsvisie) firmly says. “An entrepreneur is an entrepreneur. Giving a bag of money as a municipality does not guarantee the future”.

Heeren finds GroenLinks-PvdA and D66 on his side in this. “If the entrepreneur is sensible, he will come up with a business plan. The arrival of the crematorium across the road and the reopening of the restaurant offer opportunities”, Van Dam says.

“I really hope that the entrepreneur will come up with a plan before June, so that we can still include it in the budget this year”, Van Zwieten (D66) says. It is important that the youth in the village learn to swim there, but it also has a social function. “It is not just a swimming pool, it helps against loneliness among the elderly”, Van Zwieten (D66) explains.

Housing construction

In Son en Breugel, too, they are feeling the regional leap in scale. According to Dorpsvisie, the village is working hard to realise additional housing and the village council cannot be blamed for this. “Nitrogen regulations, high construction costs; the reasons are well known”, Heeren says. “We cannot easily expand and will therefore have to build on the edges. But then the province does not always help to accelerate”. GroenLinks-PvdA wants more affordable housing. “The average price for a house in Son en Breugel is currently half a million”, Van Dam says.

In a year’s time, the political parties will take stock. Will the school report ultimately show a pass for the municipal council and board of Mayor and Aldermen? “I do not know whether it is a pass. We will have to ask the residents”, Monique van Zwieten (D66) concludes.

Source: Studio040

Translated by: Bob

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