Fontys ICT also in building TQ Strijp-T Eindhoven

Building TQ on Strijp-T in Eindhoven is being renovated for various new companies. In the foreground on the left, a small part of the Gloeilampplantsoen. © Michel Theeuwen

Fontys ICT is also located in building TQ on Strijp-T in Eindhoven.

EINDHOVEN Fontys ICT is going to open a branch at Strijp-T, in the main building. A separate committee of the municipality and the owner will decide who else can establish themselves on the new-style industrial estate.

Michel Theeuwen

Fontys ICT has previously announced that they are looking into establishing a location near companies where the students will also work. The name of Strijp-T was already mentioned at that time. After the summer, a part of the program will start working there in a space that will also be accessible to starting companies.

This was revealed on Tuesday evening in the city council. They discussed the principles for a flexible zoning plan for Strijp-T, the area between Zwaanstraat, Beukenlaan, and Achtseweg-Noord, near Strijp-S station. The majority of the land is owned by GEVA BV, the real estate company of the Goevaers family from Best.

Power plant
The first building they have developed is the TR energy plant, for design agency Van Berlo and other creative, innovative companies. In the adjacent TQ building, there is also space for manufacturing companies on 40,000 square meters, such as 3D metal printer Additive Industries and CTouch (screens), as well as creative companies that have outgrown the startup phase and for which, for example, Strijp-S has become too small. Educational institutions also belong there, such as Fontys ICT, but there must be a connection with the companies at Strijp-T. This also applies to administrative companies. A law firm specializing in divorces will not get space, but one specialized in ICT might, according to alderman Staf Depla.

Alderman Staf Depla
Alderman Staf Depla © Municipality of Eindhoven

Commission
To ensure the mix of creating, making, and innovating, a committee consisting of the municipality and the owner GEVA BV will determine which companies are allowed to establish themselves there. This is a unique arrangement because it is based on agreements with private law, not according to the zoning plan. Also, fixed categories for the environmental impact of companies are not used. The municipality considers them outdated. Depla emphasized in response to questions from the city council that environmental requirements will still apply. Therefore, residents and companies will still be protected against heavy industry.

In order to make such a flexible zoning plan possible, the municipality has requested an experimental status from the government. Depla says that all signals are green for this; he expects to receive the commitment quickly. This is necessary because the zoning plan must be made available for inspection for the first time in August.

However, this is not the case for all companies in time. Some newcomers are unable to establish themselves on Strijp-T because the old plan only allows heavy industrial activity. When only Philips was there, that company could establish offices there, but in new cases, that is not possible.

Swan Street
The municipality estimates that eventually 5500 to 7500 people will work at Strijp-T. Some council members wondered whether the industrial estate is easily accessible, especially now that Zwaanstraat is closed. According to Depla, research shows that the current infrastructure is resistant to traffic jams. This study will be included in the zoning plan.

GEVA BV has already started working with area supervisor Adriaan Geuze on a master plan for phase 2 of Strijp-T. This is the area behind buildings TQ and TR up to the old pump house where the company Settles is currently located. The building of KMWE/Dutch Aerospace will also be included. KMWE is moving to the Brainport Industries Campus, but Aerospace will continue working on Strijp-T for the time being.

The Gloeilampplantsoen - seen here from Strijp-S station - has been transformed into a neatly raked plain with sand for about half of its area. Only the trees are still standing. In the photo from last year, work was still being done on the TR power plant.
The Gloeilampplantsoen - seen here from Strijp-S station - has been transformed into a neatly raked plain with sand for about half of its area. Only the trees are still standing. In the photo from last year, work was still being done on the TR power plant. © Michel Theeuwen

Also, the Light Bulb Square, the square shaped like a light bulb located near Strijp-S station, was briefly discussed on Tuesday evening. According to alderman Wilbert Seuren, discussions are still ongoing with owner Atom Zhou. Zhou wants to develop a part of the square, but the municipality does not allow it. Zhou, present in the room, denied after the meeting that serious discussions were still taking place. "We initiated a conversation, but it has not yielded anything. There are no more discussions taking place now," said the real estate man from The Hague.

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