The entrepreneur who wants to open a new coffee shop in the Koningsoord Shopping Center in Berkel-Enchot has no intention of stopping his plan. He will ‘certainly appeal’ against the decision of Tilburg mayor Theo Weterings not to grant him a permit. “The owner has been chosen to do this. He has already made investments and sees no reason to stop.”
Last summer it became clear that two new coffee shops could be added in Tilburg. Verdiplein in Tilburg Noord and Koningsoord in Berkel-Enschot were selected through a draw. The first room was quickly closed down again because it turned out to be too close to a youth center.
Mayor Weterings also said that the location in Berkel-Enschot was not yet certain. “There is still a lot of research to be done. It is possible that an entrepreneur does not meet all the requirements. Then we move on to the next one on the list.” According to the municipality, the fact that the permit has not now been granted is because the name of the applicant has changed in the meantime.
Mark Rooijakkers is spokesperson for the entrepreneur behind the coffee shop, a real estate agent in Eindhoven. According to Rooijakkers, they were informed of the decision on Tuesday evening. “We had to read in the media that we would hear more at the end of November, until we heard the refusal on Tuesday.”
“As a coffee shop owner, it is impossible to get a mortgage from a normal bank.”
The spokesperson says they have not been given a specific reason for the rejection. According to him, it is due to the financing of the property. “As a coffee shop owner, it turned out to be impossible to get a mortgage from a normal bank. The owner does not come from that world and was a bit naive about it. That is why we had to come up with a different construction to arrange financing for the building.”
Instead of a mortgage, an investor has now been found who buys the property and then rents it to the coffee shop owner. “But that doesn’t change the operation.”
The village was not exactly enthusiastic about the possible arrival of a coffee shop. In November, hundreds of residents protested during two council meetings in Tilburg. Nearly 4,500 residents also signed a petition against the coffee shop. The villagers are afraid of a lot of traffic nuisance caused by visitors. The sale of cannabis would also endanger the village’s youth and deter customers in the mall.
“We want to set an example with our plans.”
Despite the pressure from the population, the entrepreneur has no plans to stop, says Rooijakkers. “We want to set an example with our plans in a world that is also rapidly changing in this area. In many countries, including Germany, the sale of soft drugs is becoming legal. We want to get out of the gray area that the sector currently is.” This means that the weed must be purchased from a legal grower. This so-called cannabis experiment will start on December 15.
Rooijakkers thinks that the inconvenience to the neighborhood will not be as bad as expected. “We actually think it will decrease. Because there are already young people smoking cannabis in Koningsoord. Even without a coffee shop nearby. You can chase them away, but then they will go somewhere else.” Rooijakkers thinks that there are political reasons to refuse the permit. According to him, the mayor has succumbed to the pressure of the population.
“He has ended up in a political mix.”
“It is certainly not politically motivated,” responds a spokesperson for the municipality of Tilburg. It is purely technical: “The entrepreneur has changed the application for exploitation. The application has therefore been completed incorrectly and does not comply with the rules.” She cannot mention other reasons for the refusal in connection with the Bibob study, which indicates how great the risk of criminal abuse is. The outcome of such an investigation must remain secret.
It is sometimes difficult for the owner of a coffee shop to cope. “He is an entrepreneur, sees an opportunity and now he has ended up in the political game,” concludes Rooijakkers.
