The brand new Theater aan de Parade in Den Bosch is finally finished after years of waiting. The multi-million dollar project suffered setback after setback. Local residents were not happy and costs increased. But now, almost eighty million euros later, the doors have been opened in a festive manner. King Willem-Alexander came to Den Bosch for the opening ceremony.
The wish to replace the old Theater aan de Parade was expressed about eighteen years ago. There was a lot of overdue maintenance, the building contained asbestos and the rooms no longer met the technical requirements of today. So a new theater had to be built in Den Bosch, but that was not easy. The plans caused quite a stir.
The approval of the plans alone took about fourteen years. The city council has been debating the zoning plan all this time: what will the theater cost, what will it look like and where will it be located?
In 2018, the city council finally agreed to a new theater and two years later the zoning plan was finally approved and the renovation could begin. The new theater would be located on the same site as the old one. The building would be partly demolished and some parts could still be used in the new building.
Local residents are filing a lawsuit
The demolition of the old building was soon delayed. Local residents objected to the plans. They also did not want any inconvenience during demolition and new construction. They were rebuffed and the demolition was allowed to continue: the old Theater aan de Parade was demolished at the beginning of 2021.
But the local residents did not give up. They continued to fight against the construction plans. So they went to the Council of State, the highest legal body in our country. The theater became much too large and they were afraid that a ventilation system would cause odor and air pollution in the surrounding apartments.
They were proven wrong again. The municipality had done nothing wrong with the demolition and renovation and the work did not have to be stopped.
Higher costs
However, it did not stop with setbacks. The costs of the renovation, estimated at more than fifty million euros in 2016, continued to increase. Due to rising energy costs, higher material prices and costs for legal procedures, many additional millions had to be paid. Ultimately, the project cost Den Bosch almost eighty million euros.
Theater is finished
But then you also have something: a brand new Theater aan de Parade that was officially opened on Friday. The agenda is slowly filling up, artists can’t wait to perform on the new stages and the staff is very proud. Visitors were also enthusiastic about the building during a test performance in December. Now we have to wait for the real performances.
In this video you can see what the theater looks like from the inside: