“We would rather have seen that the hospital had not come there at all, but with the mandatory adjustments, we can live with it.” The majority of local residents on the Huijbergseweg in Roosendaal respond ‘satisfied’ to the ruling of the Council of State. On Tuesday, the highest administrative law lecture in our country gave the green light for the construction of the new Bravis hospital.
At the new location in Roosendaal, along the A58 motorway between the Wouw and De Stok exits, the two branches of the Bravis Hospital in Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom are merged. According to the Council of State, the zoning plan for the location ‘De Bulkenaar’ contained ‘some defects’ that must be adjusted in the zoning plan.
Mandatory corrections
For example, the area around the building must have the appearance of a landscape park. This was already mentioned in the design. But to prevent this plan from being changed, the Council of State now makes this mandatory. Furthermore, the hospital must adhere to the required 110 thousand square meters. The Council of State has ‘deleted’ the possibility of building extra in the future.
“The Council of State has made the refinements that were missing for us. Now that that is well arranged, we are positive. I am not only speaking for myself, but for most residents on Huijbergseweg,” said a resident who would rather not be named by name.
‘Disappointment’
Jeroen Pontenagel of the Friends of De Bulkenaar Foundation finds the ruling of the Council of State an unexpected disappointment: “I think it is regrettable that relatively little attention has been paid to the substantiation for the number of hectares and traffic figures. I expect the impact to be much greater than many citizens now realize.”
Wim Hermans from ‘Naturally involved Tolberg’ is also disappointed. “It remains strange that the Council of State has made adjustments that the city council should have made. In addition, I think it is bad that the Council of State is going into the arguments against new construction at the existing location of the hospital in Roosendaal. While this may have been much cheaper. It has become a political prestige issue.”
Purchase land
Alderman Paul de Beer van Roosendaal responds: “We are pleased with the ruling of Council of State. The arrival of the new Bravis hospital on the Bulkenaar brings many benefits for our municipality and the region. From employment to the beautiful landscape park that will soon be located around the building. We can continue with our preparations for now.
Due to the ruling of the Council of State, the municipality can start making the land ready for construction this year. Construction will start in 2026. The commissioning of the new Bravis hospital is planned for 2029.
