On March 27, the Ede city council approved the zoning plan for the new business park Kievitsmeent 2 in Ede. This business park, totaling 19 hectares, is an expansion of the Kievitsmeent 1 business park and specifically focuses on circular businesses. These are companies whose core tasks are reuse and recycling. With this plan, Ede is the first municipality in Gelderland to actively develop a circular business park.
Initiators Focus on Circularity
The development of the business park is an initiative by local entrepreneurs HSR Verpakkingen, HBE Bouw, and Heko Spanten. These companies are currently located at the Kievitsmeent 1 business park. They were looking for expansion opportunities, and this location offers sufficient possibilities. Since the companies are active in the field of circularity, they have expressed the ambition to develop a circular business park. This involves focusing on material reduction, sustainability, and the circulation of materials between companies. This aligns with the national goal of achieving a fully circular economy by 2050. Alderman Versteeg is pleased with the development: ‘within the municipality, there is more space needed to undertake circular activities. It is good to see that Ede companies are taking the initiative themselves. The development of this business park aligns with the goal of throwing away fewer raw materials and focusing more on reuse.’
Space Needed for Circular Activities
In the circular economy, there is no waste, and raw materials are used repeatedly. Waste is thus converted into a resource. This ends the habit of producing, consuming, and then discarding. To transition to a circular economy, more space is needed: raw materials are no longer discarded or removed but stored and reused. This requires space for extra storage and machines that can separate waste streams. Now that the zoning plan has been established, the next phase can begin, and the initiators will start applying for the necessary permits.
Pillars for the Business Park
The initiators are pleased to continue the development and indicate that the plan was developed collaboratively: ‘thanks to the input from all civil servants, the plan has become more beautiful and sustainable. The surrounding neighbors and businesses also contributed to its realization’. To make the circularity plans concrete, the initiators have established several pillars for the business park:
- Focus on businesses with circular activities and mutual connections;
- Circular and sustainable building;
- Social involvement;
- A sustainable design of the public space.