At the end of 2021, the municipal council in Coevorden agreed to the plan to give De Nieuwe Veste a new location on the Holwert-Midden business park. At that time, the construction costs were roughly estimated at more than 35 million euros, of which more than 31 million went to the construction of the school itself.
“All in all, we expect to ultimately reach 40 million,” says councilor Jeroen Huizing (CDA). These additional costs include increased construction costs (+12.5 percent compared to the 2021 price level), plus the costs of demolishing outdated buildings at the existing location and remediating the soil. In addition, the plan has been expanded, due to the recent decision to add rooms for the lessons that until recently were given in the Cultuurhuis in Coevorden. This has resulted in an additional 1.7 million euros.
The councilor cannot yet provide the exact total costs for the multi-million project. “That still depends on a number of factors, such as the land acquisition and the final choices in terms of material use and sustainability. We will still have to determine with the municipal council how high we want to set the bar.”
The municipality is still in discussions with three landowners to acquire the necessary land. Huizing: “We hope to be able to reach an amicable arrangement with these parties to purchase the land, but in the background we are also preparing an expropriation process.” A traffic study has also been carried out for the new location, with a focus on preventing traffic conflicts between cycling students and freight traffic.
The preliminary design is now available, and the new construction plan is expected to be definitively adopted early next year. Depending on the outcomes of the ongoing process, construction of the school can start at the earliest in early 2025, according to the alderman, although the demolition of the current buildings depends on the possible presence of bats and bird nests. “If everything goes well, De Nieuwe Veste could open its doors after the summer of 2026.”