The municipality of Emmen plans to buy the former Enexispand on the Second Bokslootweg. The Municipal Executive seems to be a good idea because of the expected growth of the Greenwise Campus, which is right next to the building. A price tag of 2.3 million euros is on the purchase.
Network manager Enexis moved last year to a new home near the Rondweg in Emmen. The old building from 1972 has a striking eye -catcher: the huge gas ball that now has a second life as a work of art De Stip. Incidentally, De Bol is not part of the purchase.
The municipality sees the purchase as a strategic move. The Innovation Campus Greenwise is on the other side of the Second Bokslootweg. The University of Groningen, NHL Stenden, the Drenthe College, the province and municipality work together in this. Together the parties work on innovations for the manufacturing industry, green energy and circular plastic.
Last year it was already announced that the campus will go through a solid growth spurt. It will be once as large: from 4500 to 8500 square meters. The intended campus site extends from the Scheper Hospital to Industriepark.
With a view to that expansion, the municipality of Emmen therefore seems wise to buy the building. The Enexisterrein could be used in the future for the further development of Greenwise. For the connection between the northern and southern part of the campus, it is probably necessary to demolish part of the Enexispand. In this case it is about the sheds and the octagonal extension.
Emmen does not do this, then this can literally get in the way of that growth spurt. In this way Emmen keeps control of this area development, the idea is. The college believes that a responsible choice. In the next ten years, 750 million to a billion euros will be pumped into the total Greenwise Campus.
In the meantime, the building can serve as a temporary accommodation for the field service of the municipality. Their current accommodation on the Handelsweg is finished and is being replaced by new construction. The service could go to the Enexis location for the next three years. Then Start UPS that came from Greenwise could get a place there.
Part is also the construction of a new school building for NHL Stenden and Drenthe College. That must rise on the former Aquaraterinrein next to the hospital. Both schools have not yet made a final decision on this plan. It is expected that this will happen early this year.
Once the GreenWise Campus has been realized, the municipality is considering sale. Incidentally, this is not the first time that the municipality has switched to a strategic purchase for the development of the innovation campus. In 2023 the head of Zuidpand on the Boermarkeweg was already purchased for this. The municipality counted six million euros for that building.
The city council will decide next month whether to purchase.