Volume 1 / Number 1 / September 2005

Breda
Business
Update
Newsletter for international business accounts
In this issue: Page 1 Breda in all its facets • Page 2 160 hectares of new city around
the railway station • Page 3 Report on 2004 Business survey
Breda
Business
Update
Newsletter for international business accounts
Colofon
Breda Business Update is an edition of the City of
Breda (gemeente Breda) for international business
accounts and is issued 4 to 6 times a year.
Design: Dedato Designers and Architects
Photography: Wessel Keizer
If you have any questions or comments, please
feel free to contact us by e-mail: brim@breda.nl,
for the attention of Mr. Guido van Liefland.
Volume 1 / Number 1 / September 2005
Breda
Business
Update
Newsletter for international business accounts
Colofon
Breda Business Update is an edition of the City of
Breda (gemeente Breda) for international business
accounts and is issued 4 to 6 times a year.
Design: Dedato Designers and Architects
Photography: Wessel Keizer
If you have any questions or comments, please
feel free to contact us by e-mail: brim@breda.nl,
for the attention of Mr. Guido van Liefland.
Volume 1 / Number 1 / September 2005
In this issue: Page 1 Breda in all its facets • Page 2 160 hectares of new city around
the railway station • Page 3 Report on 2004 Business survey
Breda is becoming more and more visible, both on the regional, national and
international scene. According to a survey by Elsevier Weekblad, Breda is one of
the top 5 Dutch cities in terms of how it has risen above the economic recession.
From an economic viewpoint, the city scored 7.7 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Breda in all its facets
There are many good reasons why a substantial
number of international companies – including
Abbott! – have opted to locate their Benelux operations in Breda. The city is strategically placed at
the heart of the Benelux, between two internationally renowned ports: Rotterdam and Antwerp.
This means companies can serve the entire European market from Breda. By mid-2005, Breda
boasted 231 foreign companies, together accounting for more than 11,500 jobs and approximately
13% of total employment in Breda.
Breda is also a nice place to be. Whether you live
here or come here to work, exuberant Breda is a
city where business and pleasure go hand in hand.
The city breathes the exuberant atmosphere of the
south. It has a high level of facilities and is won-
derfully situated in a landscape of woods and
streams. This unique combination of geographic
location, landscape and urban qualities has played
an important role in helping Breda to establish itself
at the heart of the region in an entirely natural way.
Historical city centre
The heart of Breda’s city centre is interesting from
a historical perspective. Under the Nieuwe Mark
project, the municipality is returning the port,
which had been filled in in the 1960s, and the river
to the city. By reintroducing water into the west
flank of the city centre, the municipality is striving
to raise the quality of Breda’s residential, work and
recreational functions. Presenting water as an attraction is a way of reviving the city’s image and
creating new opportunities. Opportunities that range
from enhancing the city’s economic structure to promoting tourism and recreation and making it a more
attractive place to live. In due course, these opportunities will also enable the city to give more prominence to its cultural and historical heritage, which
in turn will boost the quality of the surroundings
and increase the city’s appeal. That will result in
increased numbers of visitors, who will undoubtedly
stay longer and consequently spend more money
in the city. And that will benefit the local economy.
The project will start being implemented in summer
2005 with the reopening of the port (scheduled for
completion in summer 2006), followed by the work
on the city’s river. If everything goes according to
plan, the river will be flowing through the centre
of Breda by summer 2008.
Breda
Business
Update
160 hectares of new city around
the railway station à Via Breda
The above reopening of the old port will boost the
recreational climate of Breda’s city centre. And this
will be further enhanced by the new Via Breda
district that is going to be built around the railway
station. This will be an urban district combining
the functions of travel, work, living and recreation
in a unique way. And the railway station itself will
international businesses, within the existing city
boundaries.
Essentially this involves creating a new national/
international business centre within the Spoorzone
[Railway Zone], with approximately 312,000 m2 of
‘working space’ (10,000 jobs) and some 660,000
also undergo a substantial metamorphosis. All in
line with Breda’s ambition to create a new urban
area, and especially a centre for national and
m2 of ‘housing space’ (around 5,000 houses). In addition, 120,000 m2 have been reserved for facilities
and a further 50,000 m2 for various other purposes.
Ambitions
Breda knows exactly where it is going. It is currently
preparing a structural concept designed to guarantee
the quality of the city’s future. This spatial concept of
the city for the years to 2020 seeks to combine the
city’s ambitions for the future and the various projects
already underway, and is driven by the belief that we
should cherish and reinforce the good things we already have, while continuing to create new residential
and industrial areas and boost economic development.
Putting a project in the spotlights:
de Nieuwe Mark; Water back in town
Breda on the waterfront. Breda’s residents have
traditionally enjoyed cycling in the Markdal along
the river Mark towards the south. From summer
2008, they will also be able to enjoy the river Mark
from outdoor cafes in the heart of Breda. Under
the Nieuwe Mark project, Breda is reviving its historical port, which was filled in in the 1960s. This
involves reconstructing the watercourse of the old
river ‘de Mark’ and returning the port to its old
location in town!
bordered by the canals. It will be a ‘place to be’
when it comes to living, working and going out.
The return of the water to town (scheduled for
completion in summer 2008) will result in various
positive developments and opportunities. A number of ‘development locations’ have been designa-
ted in the area. By 2006, Breda will boast an additional 2,500 m2 for retail/eating-out facilities,
2,000 m2 for offices and service industries, 23 owner-occupied houses with ground-level access, 83
owner-occupied apartments, 75 rented flats and a
public multi-storey car park for over 200 cars.
Breda’s city centre is attractive to many people
because of its beautiful historical buildings, atmosphere and facilities. And most people enjoy
spending time alongside the water. The new river
going through the city will give a boost to Breda’s
centre, both for tourists and economically. And
that means the Nieuwe Mark will help to improve
the quality of life on the western side of the centre
Page 2
WIHCC:
Water in Historic
City centres
Report on the 2004
Business Survey
The latest two-yearly business survey was conducted in late 2004. Responses were received from
over 500 of the 1,000 companies – with more
than 10 employees – that were contacted in writing on a random basis. A new feature this year
was the option to respond digitally. In all, the survey had a response rate of 56%, 12.5% of which
were sent in ‘on-line’. According to these businesses, the overall outlook for Breda is more positive, better and more hopeful than in the 2002
results, with the majority of the respondents giving
Breda as a business location a score of at least 7
out of 10.
As far as services and policy presentation are concerned (specifically via the digital highway), businesses expect a greater commitment from the
municipality. The city council expects the municipal
reorganisation that has been set in motion to have
a positive effect in this respect. The full report on
the 2004 Business Survey can be found at
< www.breda.nl > under Actueel, Persberichten.
Breda from a wider perspective
Breda
revisited
Breda’s De Nieuwe Mark project is part of the European Water in Historic City Centres (WIHCC)
project, in which the city is participating along
with the towns of ’s-Hertogenbosch, Ghent, Mechelen, Chester and Limerick. Water plays a key
role in all six towns. By learning from and with
each other, the towns can ensure that as many
other towns in North-West Europe as possible benefit from their international experience and expertise. The European project will run for four and
a half years, with the Final Conference in Breda in
2007. In total, subsidies of well over EUR 5.5m
have been granted for this project.
Economic update
The 2005-2009 Grote Steden Beleid (GSB) programme [Major Cities’ Policy] discusses improving
the municipal services provided to businesses. As
part of this process, the municipality of Breda is
seeking to introduce an Electronic Business Service
Desk [Elektronisch Bedrijvenloket]. Businesses can
surf to this digital service desk with questions on
legislation. The Desk is a joint venture of the
Chambers of Commerce, the tax authorities and
the municipality of Breda and will help to reduce
administration and paperwork for businesses. It is
expected to become operational in the second half
of 2005, but you can already have a look at the
national version on < www.kvk.nl >
It feels like coming home again after
several years away. On a southern wind,
full of old fragrances and sounds,
memories come floating back.
I was a child here –
I find the house in which I was born,
the Stadserf,
the Begijnhof [beguinage],
the river full of sugar beet boats,
and lo’ and behold the tower
of the Grote Kerk rises before me.
The carilloneur hammers his song out
over the grey streets, de Markt, de Vest and,
my clearest memory,
Valkenberg Park,
where swans glide across the pond with dignity,
just as in my childhood.
Here I played, and near the Spanjaardsgat
the past moved behind my school book:
a peat boat full of soldiers who took
the town by surprise at night.
Where their shadows slid by,
we steered our canoes along the bridge
between de Singel and de Prinsenkade
towards the Castle, just like then.
Now, with my back turned
towards history and its heroic deeds,
I discover new districts, new bricks,
traverse the heart of my relics,
yet still there is that all-embracing green arm:
The woods with their permanent music.
Bert Voeten
Poem written on the occasion of the 100,000th inhabitant of Breda,
27 December 1957. Published in Het land der letteren, Meulenhoff,
Amsterdam 1982.
Newcomers
The following companies are just a few of those
who have recently chosen to set up in Breda:
• The world’s largest financial institution, Citigroup,
opened its second branch in the Netherlands in
Breda’s Westerhage business park.
• Toshiba is the name… the world's biggest supplier of notebook computers is basing its computer systems division for the Benelux market in
Breda. This will create work, both directly and
indirectly, for around 125 people.
• Dutch Royal Air Force staff will soon be based in
the Eurotoren [Euro Tower] alongside the A16
motorway. This will add some 600 jobs to Breda.
• The Waalwear Group is opening a new office
alongside the A27 motorway in mid-2005. This
group is better known as the ‘WE’ clothes shops
(which sell brands such as Van Gils, Jaguar, Frans
Molenaar, Peter van Holland, Bad Boys and Jeep)
• Hazeboer Elektro, a Benelux wholesale business
and distribution centre for electronic components
used in circuit and distribution technology, will
soon start building a new office on the Hazeldonk industrial estate.
Page 3