's-Hertogenbosch / Helmond, January 20, 2020 - The Province of North Brabant and the Municipality of Helmond are taking an important step towards the privatization of the Automotive Campus. Together with the third owner of the campus, Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven B.V. and new partner Ramphastos Real Estate Investments. They form the Development Combination that may become the new owner of the entire campus. The four parties signed an intention agreement as a first step towards a transfer. A number of issues still need to be worked out in more detail, including the collaboration, vision of the future, the agreements concerning the sale of the land and financing.
The Automotive Campus is of great importance to the Municipality of Helmond, the region and the province. A flourishing campus strengthens the position of the Brainport region and puts the region firmly on the map in terms of spatial, economic and mobility developments. The campus has undergone strong development in recent years. And now it is time for the next step.
In recent years, the government and construction company van de Ven have invested heavily in the development of the Automotive Campus. The Province and Municipality of Helmond believe that the sale to a private party will enable the campus to develop further and above all faster and better. The sale to Bouwbedrijf Van de Ven and Ramphastos Real Estate Investments, the party behind the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, among others, offers a solid future for the campus.
"The Automotive Campus in Helmond is one of the important work locations in Brabant. It contributes to a top business climate and to the innovative strength of Brabant companies in the high-tech automotive and smart mobility sector. It is an environment where collaboration within the triple helix (entrepreneurs, education and government) is truly visible and where promising start-ups can flourish, such as Lightyear. The step towards a private owner is important for the next step of the campus", underlines Erik Ronnes, member of the provincial executive responsible for Housing and Spatial Planning, the importance of the campus.
Alderman van de Brug of Economy and Innovation, Labour Market and Finance: "The further development of the Automotive Campus is important for Helmond. Not only for employment, but also for the automotive industry. After all, every day at the Automotive Campus we prove that we in Helmond are the makers of the future. Whether it's Altran, DENS or the already mentioned Lightyear. We are not letting go of everything with the proposed sale, but will continue to steer the campus together."
With the sale, the authorities want to secure the social values for the future. That is why a vision of the future is being drawn up together with the parties involved. This will set out the steps that will be taken in the future to maintain the important cooperation between government, education and the labor market (triple helix). In the coming period a number of issues will be further elaborated, such as a soil survey and legal and fiscal agreements. The actual sale is expected to be concluded before the summer of 2021.
