The plans for the renovated center of Heerenveen can continue. The council is releasing an additional 9 million euros for the parking garage and the conversion of the ABC complex is also coming one step closer.
The new residential tower on Burgemeester Kuperusplein is now there. The city council still had to make a choice about two other major plans for the renovation of the eastern center of Heerenveen.
The decision about the parking garage is particularly sensitive to council members. They previously agreed to construction, but due to increased costs and an error in the calculation, the project suddenly became 9 million euros more expensive. The two-storey garage with a small park on top will now cost 24 million euros.
“Major estimation errors were made and they were only discovered very late”, according to Ate Eijer (FNP). “We are concerned about the professionalism in this house in the field of large construction projects.”
At loose ends
One party felt more freedom to say ‘no’ to the mega plan than the other. Due to agreements with developers and other parties, the municipality of Heerenveen would still lose millions of euros in damages claims, for example. Moreover, canceling the garage means that the other renovation plans in the center are also in doubt.
An extra nine million is something to swallow. Yet almost all parties see the proposal as an investment in the future. Only SP and GroenLinks voted against. “It hurts now, but in fifty years everyone will have forgotten it,” says Wanda Ottens (PvdA). “We also have to ensure that the center remains attractive. Heerenveen has been overtaken by other centers for years.”
The next step in the metamorphosis of the center is the demolition and redevelopment of the ABC complex (Albert Heijn, Blokker, C&A). The intention is for Albert Heijn to move to Kuperusplein.
A nice shot
The new ABC complex will contain 125 homes and the library will also have a place here. Councilor Sybrig Sytsma announced on Thursday evening that she also wants to investigate whether the town hall or part of it can be housed in the building.
The council agrees that the municipality is entering into an agreement with the owners of the ABC complex for the realization. This week it was also announced that the municipality will receive a housing subsidy of 1.75 million from the Ministry of the Interior for this plan. “A nice stroke,” said Sytsma.
