Today, the Provincial Council of Limburg approves the expansion of VDL NedCar in Born. In order to be able to realize a new factory hall, part of the forest around the current site may be cut down. There will also be a new bypass, but for this VDL NedCar must first meet a number of conditions.
The idea behind the expansion of the company site and the improvement of the infrastructure is that VDL NedCar has a better chance of attracting a new customer in this way. Tonight the Provincial Council will vote definitively on the proposal, but during this afternoon’s Assembly of Parliament it appeared that there was already a majority in favor. The Province of Limburg agrees, among other things, with logging and an extra contribution of € 20 million for the construction of a new ring road. Initially, the costs were estimated at € 42 million, but now it turned out that the extra asphalt will cost € 74 million. In total, the province is now contributing € 48.5 million to the ring road, the remaining amount will be borne by the government and VDL NedCar itself.
However, conditions are attached to the construction of the ring road, which must be met by October 2022. According to 1Limburg VDL NedCar must by then have invested an amount of € 87 million in expanding the factory, and there must also be certainty about a new client who can ensure that VDL can put 6,000 people to work. That is considerably more employees than the 4,000 people that the car factory currently employs. Does VDL NedCar not meet the set preconditions? Then the construction of the ring road will also be canceled. To date, the car factory in Born has not yet been able to attract a new customer.