The factory halls are quite outdated and the roof is leaking in some places, but if it is up to the municipality of Den Bosch, it will soon become a hotspot for computer and ICT companies. Office spaces and workplaces are to be built in the Grenco halls in the northern part of the Bossche Spoorzone, but that comes with a hefty price tag. 5.4 million euros is needed to renovate and make the building more sustainable.
The plans follow on from the success story of the so-called Innovation Quarter in Den Bosch. That is already so popular that the alderman wants to renovate the old factory halls as soon as possible. The Innovation Quarter should become the data hotspot of the Netherlands. The old Grasso machine factory has already been converted into an ICT center.
“The more companies that join, the better that is.”
One of the Bossche companies that has already moved to the site is Collect + Go. The company ensures that truck drivers no longer receive a paper signature on deliveries, but digitally. “We mainly sit behind the computer to come up with new solutions. Then this is the ideal place for us”, says director Hans Togtema.
He is happy that there will be even more room for similar companies. “The more that come in, the better that is. This allows us to easily share knowledge and devise solutions within the data and IT sector.”
“If you tell entrepreneurs there is no place for them, you will lose them”
According to the Bossche Investment Company, entrepreneurs are really queuing up. Due to the enormous popularity, alderman Ralph Geers now also wants to renovate the former Grenco halls as quickly as possible. In an empty echoing hall he says: “If you tell entrepreneurs there is no place for them now, they will look for something else. Then you have lost them.”
The city council must decide on 12 July whether that money will be made available. “The council also sees that the site is old and abandoned, but that it does have opportunities to grow in the future. If you don’t do anything now, you’ll be too late,” said the alderman.
The site will be further developed in the coming years. Houses, restaurants and shops must also be built. The Innovation Quarter is expected to be completed by 2030.
