Three to five hundred affordable homes, partly paid for by VDL, on a piece of unused land on the edge of the city. A gift that could be gratefully unwrapped in a city like Eindhoven. However, the city council would prefer an event site in the area.
This decision was already being anticipated two weeks ago. The reason for PvdA and GroenLinks not to allow housing construction can be found in the administrative agreement. It states that there will be no housing construction in green areas. This coalition of parties is adhering to this. In contrast to coalition partner CDA, which does support housing construction in the area. With a narrow majority (24 for – 20 against), the municipal council voted in favour of alderman Rik Thijs’s proposal on Tuesday evening.
“It will not be an event location that is a big party area for three days every weekend,” says alderman Thijs. “We do want to see how we can connect nature, sports, recreation and events. In doing so, we want to meet the demand that also exists in the region for events.”
Open nature
“We are also seizing an opportunity,” explains Chris Dams of D66. “There is now a closed golf course. We are choosing to remove the fences and make it an open nature area with the possibility of adding a terrain that is suitable for events.”
“Events also burden nature,” Dams agrees. “But that’s why we want to keep it as small as possible. That’s better than permanently placing hundreds of homes that also bring traffic movements and such.”
No demolition
However, the opposition does not understand the municipality’s decision in principle. “You can build 300 to 500 homes on the Welschap without demolishing a single house,” says Jannie Visscher of the SP. “Of the hundred hectares, one hectare would be used for housing. The rest can be spent on nature, events or whatever you want. Then you’d be completely crazy not to seize that opportunity.”
Moreover, there is no certainty that the municipality’s plans will go ahead, says Visscher. “You can already sense that there is absolutely no money for an event site. Maybe one day when millions are contributed to the city by a benefactor. That is not the expectation at all now.”
Council of State
According to the VVD, the board could easily have made a move with the housing construction. “If you see how many people go to the Council of State for objection procedures. In this area in particular, you could have prevented that. So you would say: get to work, we’re going for it. With VDL, you had a financial backer for the entire area. I don’t understand it,” says VVD council member Daniëlle Stijntjes.
Finally, initiator VDL is awaiting the proposal that the municipality will come up with. “Given the political relations, we are not surprised, we saw the decision coming. We are now awaiting the proposal that the alderman will come up with,” a spokesperson for the company said.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
