Are there still affordable homes for me or for my children? Many people from Brabant in the Brainport region are worried about this. Drivers in the region press the accelerator pedal and want to stamp tens of thousands of homes from the ground at lightning speed. The business community also wants to make a contribution. For example, Rabobank announced on Tuesday to invest 1 billion euros in the construction of rental houses in the Eindhoven region.
With this amount, Rabobank wants 2750 homes in the middle rental in the coming years. This runs through subsidiary BPD Woningfonds. The rental price is then between 880 and just under 1200 euros per month. “Those homes are for starters, families and the elderly with and without care. The broad middle group,” says spokesperson Hugo Nutbey of Rabobank.
Brainport is booming. ASML wants to expand in Eindhoven, with 20,000 employees. The suppliers are also growing. “This region is growing. Punt,” says Suzan van de Goor, alderman in the municipality of Waalre. She speaks about living about living on behalf of all 21 Brainport municipalities. “The world looks at us because of the chip industry. In that context we cannot afford a housing shortage.” Drivers are therefore talking about an ‘gear stroke’ when it comes to construction.
In total, the region needs 100,000 homes. Until 2030, 62,000 must already be built. That happens, for example, with flex homes. “Just like with a car you can choose from colors and options, but the basis is certain. That presses the costs and accelerates construction.” These homes have since been realized in Veldhoven, Waalre and Helmond, among others.
Chip machine manufacturer ASML in Veldhoven has been intensively involved in the construction of homes in the region since last year. The company is not going to build neighborhoods itself, but gives financial support to loss -making construction projects. The construction could not start otherwise. This mainly concerns projects that largely consist of affordable rental and owner-occupied homes. ASML’s ambition is to help financially with the construction of 25,000 homes in the Brainport region. They are homes that are not for their own staff, the company emphasizes.
“We must ensure that there are as few objections as possible.”
Rabobank also wants to help with the realization of homes. 205 homes have now been built and rented. 532 rental properties are under construction. “We do this because the need in Brainport is very high,” says Rabobank spokesperson Hugo Nutbey. The company says it wants to make a social contribution. In ten years, all the homes that the bank wants to build must be ready.
The ambitions are high, but the question is how realistic they are. There are some bumps to take. For example, there is the nitrogen problems. “That is a national problem that I do not immediately have a solution,” says Alderman Van de Goor on behalf of the 21 municipalities.
Or what about objection procedures. “We have to ensure that there are as few objections as possible. So we also have to involve the neighborhood in the plans. That is not yet a guarantee, because there is only one local resident to be against it and then you hang in a procedure for two to three years. Nobody will be happy about that.”
And what about the overloaded electricity network. Van de Goor mentions the arrival of a new high -voltage station in Wijchen, creating more space on the power grid in the Brainport region. But those plans have been delayed. “We are sitting at the table with Enexis about Netcongestie. I am confident that we will come to a solution.”
