Residents of the Vaartbroek neighbourhood in Eindhoven are still experiencing “sleepless nights” and “constant stress” about what their neighbourhood will look like in the future. On Wednesday evening, thirteen residents emotionally told the city council how the policy document, which mentions the possible demolition of homes, is affecting them.
‘Over the past few years, we have worked hard to improve the quality of life here,’ says resident Rob van Nooijen. ‘When I look out of my window, I feel happy. The park in the middle of the neighbourhood has become a place that brings people together.’ Van Nooijen is referring to Amandelpark, located in the centre of the neighbourhood. ‘The neighbourhood has gone through difficult times. My grandfather’s house is already gone. Will my parents’ and my house be next? Our traces are being erased in this way,’ says Denise van der Hoorn.
Vaartbroek Area Framework
In the Gebiedskader Vaartbroek (Vaartbroek Area Framework), as the policy document is called, the eastern side of Amandelpark is designated as an area for investigation for the demolition of houses and the possible construction of high-rise buildings by the Woonbedrijf housing association. And that is what the residents are most concerned about. “It’s hell. Dreams have turned into nightmares. The park has been renovated with open sightlines, which has increased the feeling of safety. Are demolition and towers really necessary?” asks Mrs M. Michielsen.
Last year, the Eindhoven City Council sent the first version of the Vaartbroek Area Framework back to the drawing board. But this revised version has also been met with a lot of criticism. The plan is said to be “overambitious” and “impossible”. The neighbourhood would not be able to cope with the arrival of around 1,000 extra homes with new residents.
Heesterakker
Residents of the neighbourhood have themselves proposed 21 alternative locations for the construction of new homes in Vaartbroek and the adjacent Heesterakker neighbourhood. Importantly, according to many residents, Vaartbroek cannot be viewed separately from the Heesterakker neighbourhood. Both neighbourhoods rely on the same facilities, such as GPs, shops and schools. They also share the same access roads.
Of those 21 locations, four are being seriously investigated by the municipality and Woonbedrijf, but these are not included in the municipality’s document. ‘This area framework is not complete,’ says Diego Lathouwers, chairman of the Amandelpark Oost residents’ committee. Another point of criticism from Lathouwers: “There is no clarity between the roles of the municipality and Woonbedrijf. The municipality is shifting too many responsibilities to Woonbedrijf.”
Dilemma
Interim director Marloes Verkerk spoke on behalf of Woonbedrijf on Wednesday evening. She attempted to highlight the dilemma facing the housing association. ‘We must be there for the current residents, but also for future residents. Vaartbroek mainly consists of single-family homes, while there is demand for one- or two-person households.’
According to Verkerk, demolition is not yet a certainty. ‘That is one of the options we are currently investigating.’ She acknowledges that adding a thousand homes without demolition is a challenging task. ‘A thousand is just a number. What matters to us is the quality of the homes,’ says the interim director. A petition started by residents against demolition and high-rise buildings in the neighbourhood had been signed 319 times by Friday.
The Eindhoven city council will continue its debate on the Vaartbroek Area Framework on Tuesday, 23 September.
Source: Studio040.nl
Translated by: Anitha Sevugan
